


Crash into Me

by Fender18



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2017-12-30 15:31:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 102
Words: 389,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fender18/pseuds/Fender18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Between parents who rarely notice her, an overbearing sister whom she can barely tolerate and confusion over her own sexuality, Spencer Hastings often finds herself lonely and craving attention. A.U. story about what happens when Spencer falls for a sexy young architect named Emily Fields, a damaged soul with a heart of gold who is hired to work on a project for the Hastings family. Will Spencer and Emily find the love that they've both been seeking in each other, a place they least expected?</p><p>Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars. P.S. Alison is alive in this one. Give it a shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

One evening in late August, Spencer Hastings walked down the stairs into her living room where she found her parents sitting at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and discussing plans for the upcoming remodel of their house.

"Hey, Spence." Mr. Hastings said. "You ready for your first day of your senior year tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'm going to get."

"Did you finish all of your summer assignments?"

"Please, dad. I finished everything a month ago."

"That's my girl." Mr. Hastings smiled. "Since you've got time, come over here, your mother and I could use your opinion."

"What do you need my opinion on?" Spencer asked as she walked over to the kitchen counter and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"We're going over the plans for our kitchen remodel. The architect needs to know what material to order for our counter tops."

Spencer picked up her coffee cup and walked over to the kitchen island, looking over her father's shoulder at multiple counter top samples.

"We've narrowed it down to three…" Mrs. Hastings said. "I like these two granite samples. The blue pearl and the galaxy black." She pointed to a pair of side by side sample squares. "But your father likes this black and white Italian marble."

"I like all three of them…but I think I'd go with the marble. It's pretty classic." Spencer said, raising her coffee mug to her lips. "I don't even know why you need to remodel the kitchen anyway, I think it's fine the way it is."  
"I just think it's time for a change." Peter said.

"You're a terrible liar." Spencer countered. "The neighbors just redid their kitchen, so naturally you have to try to one up them by redoing our kitchen and putting an addition onto the house."

"The addition is necessary." Peter replied. "With your sister moving back home with her fiancé, we could really use the extra space."

The Hastings' hadn't stopped bragging since Melissa became engaged. Her fiancé, Wren, was everything that Veronica and Peter Hastings had wanted for their daughter. He was a handsome, young British medical student, who had just been accepted into a residency program at the Rosewood community hospital. Spencer rather liked Wren, he had always been nothing but kind to her. She often wondered what such a seemingly nice guy could ever possibly see in her stuck-up, condescending older sister.

"I don't understand why Melissa needs to move back here. Why can't she get her own house?" Spencer complained.

"You're eighteen years old now, Spencer. When is this feud between you and your sister going to end?" Veronica asked.

"When Melissa stops being a bitch." Spencer stated, matter-of-factly. "But I don't see that happening any time soon."

"We figured you wouldn't exactly be thrilled about your sister moving back home." Peter said. "That's why your mother and I have decided that it would be best for everyone if Melissa and Wren move into the barn."

"What! You promised me the barn! You said that if I did the summer internship with the mayor, took all AP summer classes at U Penn and kept straight A's, I could move into the barn for senior year. I did all of the designing and decorating, I worked all summer on the barn. Why should Melissa get to move in? It's not fair."

"Spencer, I know you're upset, but Melissa brought up some good points." Veronica said. "She and Wren need their own space."

"We had a deal. This is bull. You guys always give Melissa what ever she wants. You know you have two daughters, don't you?"

"Spencer…" Veronica said.

"Just forget it. Once again you take Melissa's side. You always have and you always will." Spencer said as she stormed off, back up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

The next day at school, Spencer joined her three best friends, Alison DiLaurentis, Aria Montgomery and Hanna Marin in the cafeteria at lunchtime.

"How lucky were we to all get the same lunch period?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah, lucky." Alison said. "We've only had the same lunch period together since freshman year.

"Do you always have to be so negative?" Spencer snapped.

"Jesus, who pissed in your Wheaties this morning?" Alison said, sitting down at the table. "Are you mad because you're the only one who didn't get laid this summer?"

"Shut up, Alison." Spencer glared.

"It's okay, Spence, you won't be a virgin forever." Alison said, snidely. "There's gotta be some guy out there willing to take your v-card."

"I thought I told you to shut up." Spencer said, obviously becoming more irritated by the minute.

"Calm down, Spence." Aria said. "What's really bothering you?"

"My parents just suck, that's all."

"What's wrong?" Hanna asked.

"They're letting Melissa and her fiancé move into the barn after promising it to me.

"But you had to take all those AP classes at U Penn and do that internship…" Aria said.

"I know…"

"So you did all of that work for nothing?" Hanna asked.

"It wasn't exactly for nothing. That stuff will look good on my college applications, but that doesn't mean I'm not still pissed. I'm so sick of Melissa always getting her way. It's like I don't even exist. I can't wait to move out."

* * *

A few days later when Spencer arrived home from school, she walked around to the back of her house where she found her father in the back yard, near the house looking at blueprints with a young, muscular, dark-haired woman whom she'd never seen before.

"Hey, Spence." Peter said. "This is Emily Fields. She's going to be working on the remodel."

"Emily, this is my daughter, Spencer."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Emily said, extending her hand to Spencer.

"You too." Spencer said, smiling softly at the raven-haired girl in front of her.

Emily held Spencer's gaze for a few long moments before letting go of her hand.

"Are you planning on being home tomorrow afternoon?" Peter asked, looking at his daughter.

"Yeah. I should be home around three. Why?"

"Emily's going to start work on the kitchen tomorrow. I'm going to need you to let her into the house."

"No problem…but, right now I've got a ton of homework. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Spencer said, glancing over at Emily.

"I'll be here around three thirty." Emily said.

"Okay." Spencer then turned to walk into the house.

Emily couldn't help but stare at Spencer as she disappeared into the Hastings' house.

"So Emily…" Peter said. "About these blueprints…"

"Oh right." Emily said, shaking herself out of her thoughts. "Here's what I came up with…"

* * *

The next afternoon, Spencer was sitting on the couch in her living room, reading a book when she heard the door bell ring. Spencer checked her watch, it was exactly three thirty on the dot. Spencer closed her book, got up off of the couch and walked over to the door. Spencer opened the door to find, Emily Fields standing on the other side.

"Hi, there." Emily said.

"Hi." Spencer smiled, finding herself unable to focus as she stared at Emily's upper body in her obviously too small, plain white v-neck t shirt.

"I give up what's the password?" Emily asked, poking fun at the fact that Spencer was still blocking the doorway.

"What?" Spencer asked, shaking her head.

"I can only do the work, if you let me inside." Emily replied. "I promise I've had all of my shots and I don't bite."

"Oh, God. I'm sorry. Come on in." Spencer said, her skin turning a deep shade of red as she stepped aside.

"Thanks." Emily said, stepping into the house.

"I won't bother you." Emily said, turning around to face Spencer. "I'm just going to be taking some measurements today. I shouldn't be very long."

"Take all the time you need."

Spencer sat back down on the couch and picked up her book again, she tried her best to focus on reading, but found herself having a tough time concentrating, as her gaze somehow kept landing on the tan-skinned woman in her kitchen. On more than one occasion that afternoon, Spencer had caught herself admiring the way Emily's tight, dark-wash jeans hugged her backside. This hadn't been the first time that Spencer had ever found herself sexually attracted to another woman. Over the past few years of her teenage life, Spencer had been finding herself much more attracted to girls instead of guys, but this was something that she had always kept to herself. Spencer allowed her curiosity to get the best of her, when she noticed Emily sketching something onto a piece of paper. Spencer got up off of the couch and walked over to the kitchen island, and glanced over Emily's shoulder as she walked by.

"What are you drawing?" Spencer asked.

"I'm just sketching out a more detailed plan of what your dad wants the kitchen to look like. I need to give my crew something to work off of."

"Your crew? Are you like the supervisor?"

"Sort of…I'm the architect."

"Really? Aren't you a little young to be an architect? I assume you went to college…are you new to Rosewood? I've never seen you around…"

"You want my résumé?" Emily chuckled.

"No, of course not. I'm really sorry, I'll stop bothering you."

"You aren't bothering me and you're definitely not the first person to ever question my credentials, but I can assure you that I am a fully licensed professional. You don't have anything to worry about…I think I have everything I need for right now."

"You're going to give me a totally vague answer and then just leave?"

"My life's not that interesting, trust me." Emily said as she stepped passed Spencer and moved toward the door. "Tell your dad I'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning."

As Spencer watched Emily leave, she couldn't help but feel like Emily had been flirting with her. Spencer was certain that she had felt a spark between the two of them and she was determined to find out more about a certain tall, sexy and mysterious stranger. Being that tomorrow was Saturday, Spencer decided that she would definitely be around…all day.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Spencer wandered slowly down the stairs, she stopped on the second landing of the staircase and glanced over the railing, where she found Emily Fields and a group of three young men working in her kitchen. Spencer pretty much ignored the men, as her attention immediately focused on Emily. Emily's long black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and a tool belt hung around her waist. When Emily turned around, she caught a glimpse of Spencer on the staircase.

"I'm sorry if we woke you up." Emily said, sympathetically.

"Don't worry, you didn't." Spencer said, walking into the kitchen. "I just came down to get something to eat."

Spencer walked over to the kitchen island and grabbed an apple out of the bowl, which was sitting in top of the counter.

"Did you happen to see my dad?"

"I did, but he was on his way out the door when I got here this morning. He didn't say where he was going. Sorry."

"It's okay. He was probably going to his office." Spencer then walked into the living room, picked up a book from the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

All morning Spencer sat in the living room, quietly watching Emily work, only pretending to be interested in the book she had in her hand when Emily would walk by to go get something out of her truck.

"Any of you guys seen my hammer?" One of Emily's crew members named Mike asked. "I can't find it."

"You go through tools, like I do underwear." Emily laughed. "Just take mine." Emily said, pulling a hammer out of her tool belt and handing it over to Mike. "I'll go get another one out of the truck."

Spencer smiled to herself as she watched Emily interact with her crew. When Emily turned around, Spencer quickly raised her book to her face, pretending to be very interested in what she was reading.

"Must be a pretty boring book, huh?" Emily said, leaning over Spencer's shoulder when she returned to the room.

"What?"

"You've been on the first page of chapter seven all morning. I'm not the fastest reader, but even I can manage at least two pages in four hours." Emily laughed. "Did daddy send you to baby sit me?"

"Not at all. I…just…I"

"Hey Em, is it cool if we take a lunch break?" Another one of the workers named Ben asked.

Spencer was relieved that he had interrupted.

"Sure." Emily said, walking into the kitchen. "We've been at it all morning. A break couldn't hurt."

"We were thinking about going to grab some burgers or something." The third crew member, Chris said. "You coming?"

"I don't think so. I should really keep working."

"Aw come on." Mike nudged Emily. "We can go to that place next to the gym. Maybe we'll even catch that hot yoga instructor on her way to work."

"Yeah, maybe. There's nothing hot women in the physical fitness industry love more than sloppy construction workers chowing down on greasy burgers and fries." Emily said sarcastically. "She'd never even give any of us the time of day…well maybe me, because I'm the only one of us who can manage to eat without dropping half of my food all over my shirt."

"She's right, dude." Ben laughed, glancing over at Mike.

"You should totally ask her out, Em." Mike said. "I mean, I'm like ninety nine percent sure she's gay."

"Why would you think that?" Emily asked.

"Because I've asked her out like four times and she's said no every time…if she doesn't want all of this, she must be gay."

"You just keep on thinking that." Emily laughed.

"Gay or not, that instructor is crazy hot…" Mike said. "We can at least look. Who knows, maybe we'll even run into some hot Hollis girls. I'm kinda looking to get laid tonight."

"Wow. Definitely use that as your pick up line." Emily said. "The girls will love that. You're such a charmer."

All three of the guys laughed as Emily turned to get back to work.

"You sure you don't want to come to lunch with us?" Ben asked.

"I should really stay here and work. You guys go ahead." Emily said.

"You're such a workaholic." Chris said. "You know you're never gonna meet a girl if all you do is work twenty four seven."

"I'm just not really looking for a girlfriend right now."

"It's been over a year since the whole Stephanie thing, Em." Ben said, placing his hand on Emily's shoulder. "You need to move on, she's not worth it."

"It's not about Stephanie. I'm just way too busy to commit to a girlfriend right now."

"Well, can you at least come to the bar with us after work?" Mike asked. "The rest of us could use a wingman."

"I'll think about it...now instead of standing here worrying about my love life why don't you guys go eat? I need you back here ASAP to help tear out these cabinets."

"All right, we'll be back soon. You want us to bring you back anything, boss?" Chris asked.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks."

When the guys left, Emily went back to work and began tearing out the kitchen cabinets. As Emily was pulling out a cabinet above her head, her index finger caught on an exposed screw, leaving a cut.

"Damn it." Emily said, shaking her hand and walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked.

"To my truck to get a band aid. I cut my finger."

"I can get you a band aid. Hold on a second." Spencer said before disappearing from the room.

When Spencer came back, she handed Emily a tube of anti-bacterial ointment and a few bandages.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked.

"I'm fine. It's just a cut. Thanks, Spencer." Emily said smiling softly, as she rubbed some antibiotic cream on her finger.

"You remembered my name?" Spencer asked, obviously surprised.

"Of course. Spencer's a relatively uncommon name. I like it. It's pretty."

"Thanks…so who's Stephanie?"

Spencer couldn't help but notice the sudden look of sadness cross Emily's face at the mention of whomever Stephanie was.

"Oh…she's no one. It's not important. So...uh…what year of college are you in?" Emily asked, quickly changing the subject.

"College? No...I'm still in high school, I'm a senior at Rosewood high."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you seem surprised. What made you think I was a college student?"

"Well, your dad mentioned that you took classes at U Penn, so I just assumed that's where you were going to college. Besides that, you seem too mature to still be in high school."

"I've always been mature for my age and I took summer classes at U Penn to get ahead."

"I see. Well, I really should get back to work. Thanks for the band aid."

"Aren't you going to eat anything? You shouldn't work on an empty stomach."

"I won't. I've got a protein bar, that's all I need."

"You know, I'm surprised that you're doing a lot of this work yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that, you're the architect. Aren't you supposed to just look at blueprints and tell everyone else what to do?"

"Some architects do that, but not me. I'm much more hands on, I like to be sure things get done the way I want and if I don't do it myself, that usually doesn't happen. I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to my work."

"I definitely know how you feel...I'm kind of a control freak too...so, how long have you been an architect?"

"I've been licensed for about two years now, but I did a lot of paid, professional work in college when I was an apprentice."

"How long does it take to become an architect?"

"Usually it takes about five years to complete an architectural program. It's a lot more work than people think. I was lucky to be able to finish my degree in four years, though. It was a real pain taking extra classes in between semesters and during the summer, but it was worth it to finish sooner."

"I assume you started college immediately after high school?"

"Actually I finished high school almost a year early, so I could go to college sooner."

"Really? That's impressive. You must have been like seventeen when you started college, right?"

"I was…"

"Interesting."

"Wait a minute…you're totally trying to figure out how old I am, without actually coming out and asking, aren't you?" Emily smirked, narrowing her eyes at Spencer.

Spencer's cheeks immediately flushed, obviously signaling her embarrassment that Emily had figured out exactly what she was trying to do.

"I'm sorry…I was just curious as to how someone who seems so young could already be so well established in their career. I want that."

"It definitely wasn't easy. I took a huge risk starting my own business almost directly out of college, but with a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, I've been able to make a decent living for myself. Oh and by the way, Spencer…if you wanted to know my age, all you would have had to do was ask. It's not that personal of a question."

"Can I still ask then?" Spencer said shyly, looking away from Emily.

"Sure. I'm twenty three."

"Cool. My sister is twenty two…maybe you know her. Did you ever go to school around here?"

"No. I graduated from Texas Tech's architecture program. I had a full scholarship."

"Well…I'm officially impressed."

* * *

Later that evening, when Emily and her crew had finished packing up for the day, Spencer met Emily as she was walking out the door.

"Emily?"

"Yes?" Emily said, turning around to face Spencer.

"I just wanted to say that it was really nice talking to you today."

"You too." Emily smiled.

"Will you guys be working at all tomorrow?"

"No, I don't usually work on Sundays."

"I guess when you're the boss you get to make your own schedule. Nice perk."

"Yeah, it's actually really nice. I love having Sundays off. I get up early and go to church, then I usually just spend the rest of the day relaxing and recovering from the work week."

"You go to church?"

"Yep. Seven a.m. every Sunday morning…but anyway, I should really get going." Emily said, unbuckling her tool belt from around her waist. "I'll see you later."

Spencer stood at the door, watching Emily walk all the way back to her truck and drive off. Once she was out of sight, Spencer stepped back into the house and closed the door behind her. Spencer leaned her back against the door as she smiled contently to herself. Spencer was much too wrapped up in thoughts of Emily that she never even heard her mother coming down the stairs.

"Spencer, honey." Veronica said. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, mom."

"Good. Don't forget, your sister and Wren will be coming home tomorrow morning, don't make plans because we're all going to go out to the club for brunch. I expect that you'll be on your best behavior and not pick a fight with your sister."

"You really should be having this conversation with Melissa, not me." Spencer said as she walked passed her mother and headed upstairs to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of the evening, Spencer found herself extremely distracted by thoughts of Emily. She honestly couldn't remember the last time that she found herself so attracted to someone. Spencer knew for certain that she had never felt this attracted to any guy in her life over the past eighteen years. What was it about Emily that she found so appealing? Maybe it was the way Emily's jeans hugged her body or maybe it was the way Emily's t shirts fit just snugly enough to accentuate her incredibly toned abdominal muscles. Perhaps it was even the fact that Emily was older or the mysterious aura that always seemed to surround her, Spencer couldn't be sure. All she knew was that each conversation with Emily left her dying to know more about the twenty three year old architect. It was shortly after one a.m. when Spencer finally got into bed for the night, she reached over to the nightstand, switched off the light and rolled over in bed.

* * *

Still in her pajamas, Spencer rubbed her eyes as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, like she did almost every morning. When Spencer approached the last stair, she placed her hand on the banister at the bottom of the staircase and turned the corner toward the kitchen. Spencer stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Emily leaning against the island in the kitchen with her arms folded over her chest, wearing her tool belt and absolutely nothing else.

"Hi, Spencer." Emily said, raising an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Em...Emily?" Spencer stuttered, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Wha...what are you doing here?"

"Don't pretend like you don't want me. I've seen the way you look at me."

Spencer felt her heart race out of control as she slowly moved closer to Emily.

"Emily...I..."

"It's okay." Emily said softly as she reached out and tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear.

Emily then leaned in and gently pressed her lips to Spencer's. Spencer closed her eyes and melted into the kiss as she slid her hands up over Emily's bare shoulders. To Spencer, this felt nothing like kissing any guy she had even been with. Emily's lips were unbelievably soft and Spencer never wanted the kiss to end. Spencer's head was spinning as Emily gently slipped her tongue into the brunette's mouth.

"You know, I've been dying to do that since the minute I met you." Emily said, when she eventually broke the kiss.

Spencer just smiled and leaned in to kiss Emily again.

"What do you say we go up to your room?" Emily asked, softly.

"Let's go…" Spencer said, taking Emily's hand and leading her upstairs.

* * *

"Spencer honey, it's time to get up." Veronica called.

Spencer's eyes snapped open, as she was awaken from her dream by the sound of her mother's voice. Spencer quickly closed her eyes again, wanting desperately to get back to her dream, but it was already gone. Spencer groaned loudly and glanced over at the clock next to her bed, it was already after ten a.m. Frustrated and highly aroused, Spencer rolled over onto her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead, she couldn't help but replay the dream over in her head, which only further fueled the strong, uncomfortable throbbing between her legs. Desperately needing to alleviate the sexual frustration which was now plaguing both her mind and body, Spencer slipped her right hand underneath the blanket and over her abdomen. She slowly slid her hand underneath the waistband of her shorts, allowing her fingers to rest overtop of her panties, which were already soaked with her own desire. Spencer then slowly began rubbing herself in a circular motion, through her underwear. After a few minutes, Spencer found herself growing desperate for more direct stimulation. She stopped abruptly, but just long enough to move her hand underneath the fabric of her underwear. Spencer slipped her middle and index fingers into her own body, seeking out her most sensitive spot. She soon found a steady rhythm with her fingers, Spencer bucked into her own hand, desperately trying to will her already rapidly approaching orgasm to come quicker. Without slowing her pace, Spencer snaked her free hand up underneath her tank top to stimulate one of her nipples. Spencer could feel a tightening sensation building deep within the pit of her stomach as she rubbed herself even faster and harder. She bit her lip in an attempt to stifle a moan as she felt her body nearing release. A moment later, her back arched and her hips jerked upward as she as she finally reached her climax. Spencer then sunk down into the bed and closed her eyes, enjoying the lingering tremors of orgasm.

"Spencer. Are you awake?" Veronica called out from down the hall.

Jesus, can't I get one fucking minute of peace? Spencer thought as she opened her eyes and removed her hand from her underwear.

"Yeah mom...I'm awake." Spencer called out.

A few minutes later, Veronica opened Spencer's door and walked into the room.

"Morning, sweetheart."

"Morning." Spencer grumbled.

"Do you feel all right, honey?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Your skin is a little flushed, do you have a fever?" Veronica asked placing the back of her hand on Spencer's forehead.

"No. I'm okay. I just...don't think the air conditioning is working." Spencer lied, not wanting her mother to know what she was actually doing. "It was really hot in here all night."

"Hmmm. I didn't notice any difference, but I'll have Emily take a look at the air conditioner tomorrow. Have you met Emily yet?"

"Yeah. I like her, but Emily's an architect, what makes you think she'd be able to fix an air conditioner?"

"For what your father and I are paying her, she should be able to fix anything in this house. Now...I don't mean to rush you, but we're meeting your sister and Wren at the club in less than an hour. You need to get ready."

"I'll be ready, don't worry." Spencer rolled her eyes.

Veronica smiled at her daughter before turning to leave the room.

* * *

Once Spencer had showered and gotten dressed, she walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Spencer was annoyed to find that her parents weren't even ready to leave yet, as they were still upstairs.

"Bitch at me to get ready...they're not even ready..." Spencer mumbled to herself as she plopped down on the couch in the living room.

A few minutes later, Spencer heard a knock at the door. When she opened the door, Spencer found Emily standing on the porch, but she looked very different today. Emily had on a pair of perfectly creased black dress slacks, a white button down shirt, along with a black blazer and a pair of polished, leather Oxfords.

"Oh my God." Without thinking, Spencer reacted by quickly slamming the door.

A little surprised by Spencer's reaction, Emily knocked on the door again.

"Shit." Spencer mumbled as she pulled the door open again.

"Am I really that ugly?" Emily laughed when she saw Spencer again.

"No, no, no...not at all. I guess I just wasn't expecting you. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to slam the door on you."

"It's okay. It's not like you're the first girl to ever slam a door in my face." Emily laughed.

"I really am sorry…" Spencer said, looking Emily up and down. "Do you want to come in?"

"No thanks, I can't stay. I'm on my way home from church, but last night I completely forgot to give your dad my plans for the landscaping I'm going to be doing outside of your guest house. I wanted to drop off my sketches for him to look over."

As Emily talked, Spencer's mind slowly began to wander back to her dream, causing her to feel extremely guilty. Here was Emily standing in front if her, she had just come from church and Spencer couldn't focus on anything except the slew of impure thoughts she had had about Emily this morning.

"Would you give these to your dad for me, please?" Emily asked, handing the plans to Spencer.

"Yes. Of course." Spencer said, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

"Are you okay? Emily asked, looking at Spencer.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You seem awfully distracted this morning."

"It's just that, I have to go to brunch at my family's country club with my parents, my sister and her fiancé, I'm really not looking forward to it, that's all."

"Sunday brunch at a country club? That sounds just awful, I can see why you're upset." Emily said sarcastically.

"I just don't feel like I fit in there. Everyone's going to be falling all over my sister, talking about wedding stuff, I'm just not into that."

"Well…I haven't met your sister, but I would assume that all eyes would be on you…you look very nice today."

"Thanks." Spencer said, blushing slightly. "You clean up pretty well, yourself."

"Yeah, most people don't recognize me, if I'm not wearing ripped jeans and a stained t shirt…or at least my tool belt." Emily smiled softly at Spencer for a moment.

"I…bet not." Spencer said, gluing her eyes to the ground as her skin reddened again.

"Well…I should really get going. I promised my mom I'd call her after church. Would you have your dad give me a call some time tonight? I'd really like to know what he thinks of my plans."

"Sure, I'll tell him."

"Thanks. He should already have my cell number, but I'll give it to you, just in case."

Emily then pulled a small notepad and a pen out of the chest pocket on her shirt. She scribbled down her number and handed the piece of paper to Spencer.

"I'll make sure my dad gets these." Spencer said, holding up Emily's sketches.

"Great, thanks a lot. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Spencer walked back into the house and set the sketches on the coffee table in the living room. She picked up her own cell phone and added Emily's phone number to her contact list. Spencer then slipped her phone into her bag and began browsing Emily's sketches.

"Hey, Spence. You about ready to go?" Peter asked when he entered the room.

"Yeah. I've been waiting for you guys. Where's mom?"

"She'll be down in a minute…what are you looking at there?"

"Oh, Emily stopped by a few minutes ago to drop off these sketches for the landscaping around the barn. She wants you to look over them and call her tonight to let her know what you think."

"Let me see those." Peter said, taking the sketches from his daughter.

Peter silently flipped through the drawings.

"These are great. I wouldn't change a thing." Peter said. "I'm sure Emily and her crew will do a fantastic job. Remind me to call her when we get back from the club."

"I could always call her for you, if you want…I'm sure you and mom will be pretty busy with Wren and Melissa doing wedding stuff."

"If you don't mind, that would be great, actually." Peter said. "Thanks, Spence. That's one less thing I have to worry about."

"It's no problem at all." Spencer smiled to herself. "So…dad…what exactly made you pick Emily?"

"I know she's young, but Emily came highly recommended. She's one of the most talented people in the business. In fact, I was lucky to have even gotten her at all for such a big job. She turned down quite a few other jobs to make time for this one."

"How long is the whole job supposed to take?"

"There's a lot to be done. We originally figured on at least a month and a half at minimum for the addition and possibly a few weeks to remodel the kitchen, but these things tend to take a little longer than expected. Nothing ever goes according to plan. We'll just have to wait and see. I hope you like Emily, because we're sure going to be seeing a lot of her."

"That's fine by me. I think she's really nice."

A minute later, Veronica came down the stairs and walked into the living room.

"I just talked to Melissa." Veronica said. "She and Wren are almost to the club, we should get going."

 


	4. Chapter 4

"Melissa, when will you and Wren and be moving home?" Veronica asked.

"Wren starts his residency at the hospital next Monday, so we're hoping to be settled in before then. We brought as many boxes up with us today as we could. Is the barn ready for us?"

"Yes." Peter said. "I'm having some landscaping done around it, but other than that the inside is furnished and ready for you to move in."

By this point in time, Spencer had taken to mainly just pushing her food around on her plate as she thought about a million other places she'd rather be.

"Spencer? Is everything all right?" Wren asked in his thick British accent. "You're unusually quiet today."

"I'm fine." Spencer said as she absent-mindedly fingered the glass of water in front of her.

Spencer hoped her family time would end after brunch, but of course it didn't, she was then forced to spend the early afternoon mingling with her parents' friends, clients and business acquaintances. For the most part, Spencer just stood idly by without contributing much to the conversation as she listened to her parents brag about Melissa.

"Spencer, you must be so excited for your big sister to get married..." A woman, who had been talking to Veronica said. "Just think, pretty soon it'll be you walking down the aisle with an equally handsome and successful man."

"Yeah...I don't know about that."

"Don't be so modest. A smart, pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend."

"Nope. No boyfriend."

"Playing hard to get are we?" The woman smiled.

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"You know, there are a lot of promising young men here, Spencer." Veronica said. "It couldn't hurt to at least network."

"Yeah. I'll see what I can do, mom."

"Are you sure you're all right, honey?" Veronica asked, sensing some tension in her daughter's voice.

"Yeah. I just need to get some air." Spencer said, excusing herself from the conversation and walking off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Spencer pulled her phone from the pocket of her cardigan and browsed her contacts for Emily's number. Once she found it, she pressed send and raised her phone to her ear. After a few rings Emily picked up.

"Emily Fields here."

"Hi, Emily. This is Spencer Hastings."

"Miss Hastings. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm just calling to let you know that my dad loved your sketches. He was going to call you himself, but he's busy right now, so I thought I'd let you know."

"He really liked my sketches?"

"Yep. He says he wouldn't change a thing."

"Wow really?"

"Definitely. Don't sound so surprised, you're obviously talented."

"Thank you very much."

"Are you going to be working tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm planning on getting an early start tomorrow morning."

"Hey Spence." Spencer heard a voice say from behind her.

Spencer turned around to see Alison standing behind her.

"Hey, I gotta go." Spencer said, into the phone.

"All right. I'm really glad your father liked my sketches. Thanks for calling."

"You're welcome. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye."

Spencer then ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Alison? What are you doing here?"

"My parents dragged my brother and I here for brunch, but I ditched them. Who were you talking you?"

"No one. It's not important."

"Oh really? Then why are you grinning like an idiot?"

"I'm not."

"Yes you are. Who was it?"

"I told you, it's not important. Don't worry about it."

"Fine, but you know I'll find out eventually. Anyway...I'm heading out to the tennis courts. Wanna come?"

"Sure. Just let me run to the locker room and change clothes."

"We're not playing, we're only watching. I just saw a bunch of hot guys carrying tennis rackets."

"Can't we play against them? I could really use the exercise."

"No way. You're way too aggressive."

"I'm not that aggressive."

"Yes you are and no guy will ever hit on you if you kick his ass at sports."

"I'm not interested in anyone who can't handle a little competition."

"You totally don't get how guys work, do you? No wonder you're still a virgin." Alison rolled her eyes.

"Who cares if I am, it's not that big of a deal. I just haven't found anybody worth doing it with."

"Please, Spencer. Your first time isn't going to be that great anyway. Just fuck someone and get it over with. Now come on." Alison said, grabbing Spencer's hand and dragging her away. "We've got a tennis court full of man candy just waiting for us."

"Fine." Spencer sighed, knowing that she didn't really have a choice in the matter.

* * *

The next morning, Spencer had been in her bedroom getting dressed, when she heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in." Spencer called out as she slipped her shirt on over her head before walking over to her desk to grab a stack of books.

"Good morning." A voice said, from the doorway.

Spencer had expected her mother, but when she turned around, instead it was Emily leaning against the door jamb.

"Hi, Emily. What's up?"

"Your mom said that you were having trouble with the air conditioning up here. I looked at the outside unit, but I couldn't find anything wrong, so I thought I'd check your vents, but I think right now, it feels pretty comfortable in here or are you hot?"

"I'm getting there." Spencer mumbled softly to herself.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh I uh, think it feels fine in here, I think maybe it was just me. I'm really sorry my mom bothered you."

"It's no bother at all. Since I'm already up here I may as well go ahead and take a look at the vents, if that's okay with you."

"Sure. There's one beside the bed and one over by the closet."

Emily then knelt down beside the bed and carefully inspected the vent.

"This one looks clear, I don't see any blockage. I'll take a look at the other one."

Emily walked across the room and got down on the floor again. Spencer stared at Emily for a few long moments, only looking away and pretending to pack her book bag, when Emily stood up again.

"Well, this one looks okay too. It could always just be the location of this room in the house. Sometimes certain rooms in a house will tend to be slightly warmer or cooler based on the position."

"Really?"

"Sure. My bedroom always seems to be a few degrees warmer than the rest of my apartment."

Spencer then noticed Emily staring at all of the ribbons and trophies on the shelf.

"Are those all yours?" Emily asked.

"Yep. You might say I'm a little competitive."

"No kidding." Emily laughed.

"I just like to keep up with my sister."

"Speaking of your sister, how did your family brunch with the fiancé go over?"

"It was totally boring. All I did was sit around and listen to my sister tell my parents everything she needs to have the perfect wedding and if everything isn't exactly perfect it'll ruin her marriage. She's a total drama queen…do you have any annoying siblings?"

"Nope. I'm an only child."

"You're so lucky."

Emily smiled softly at Spencer, holding her gaze for a long time before speaking again.

"Well, I should probably get to work. Your house won't remodel itself."

"I guess I should get to school. I don't want to be late."

"Something tells me you never have been."

"You would be correct. I've got near perfect attendance too."

"Why am I not surprised?" Emily laughed.

"After you." Emily then motioned for Spencer to exit the room first.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled at Emily before stepping passed her and out of the room.

* * *

Over the next few days, Spencer faithfully returned home directly after school, hoping to have as many opportunities as possible to talk or at least see Emily. One Friday afternoon, when Spencer returned home from school, she noticed Emily kneeling on the ground in the back yard working on the landscaping around the barn. Emily had on her usual tight jeans, but this time she had on nothing more than a white tank top, which revealed a large, very elaborate tattoo of a cross on her right shoulder blade. Spencer laid her book bag on the table in the yard and sat down. She opened a textbook and notebook to create the illusion that she was doing homework. It didn't take long for Emily to notice that Spencer had been watching her, as every time Emily turned around, Spencer wasn't quite quick enough at averting her gaze. After about half an hour, Emily stood up, discarded the gloves that she was wearing and approached Spencer.

"Hi, Spencer. How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good. Thanks." Emily said leaning against the table.

Spencer couldn't help but stare at Emily's sweat-soaked tank top, which was now clinging tightly to her midsection. Spencer watched as a few droplets of sweat rolled down Emily's chest and disappeared.

"So, you look pretty hot…" Spencer said.

Emily laughed out loud, she knew what Spencer meant, but Emily still couldn't keep herself from laughing.

"Oh God." Spencer closed her eyes as a slight blush graced her cheeks. "I mean hot as in the temperature…like it's warm outside."

"Oh, so you don't think I'm attractive then?"

"That's not what I meant either, I just…"

"Relax. I know what you mean." Emily smiled.

"You want to come inside? I can get you something to drink."

"Sure, that sounds great. Thanks."

Spencer stood up. As she and Emily began walking toward the house, Spencer purposely lagged slightly behind, attempting to get a better look at Emily's tattoo.

"So where's your crew today?" Spencer asked as she and Emily walked into the kitchen.

"I gave them the day off, it's just me today."

"That was nice of you…is iced tea okay?"

"Perfect, thanks."

Spencer then filled a glass and handed it to Emily.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So…do you like it?" Emily asked, raising the glass to her lips.

"Like what?" Spencer asked, confused.

"My tattoo." Emily smirked, looking over her shoulder. "I know you were checking it out."

"Oh…yeah I like it a lot…did it hurt?" Spencer asked as she reached up and ran her fingers over Emily shoulder.

"Not really. You kind of get used to the pain after a while."

"Do you have any more?"

"Yeah. You wanna see my other one?" Emily set her glass down on the counter.

"Sure."

"Okay." Emily said as she reached down and began to unbutton her jeans.

"Wait. Where is this tattoo, exactly?" Spencer asked, grabbing Emily's hands.

"I'm just kidding with you." Emily chuckled. "The one on my shoulder is actually the only one I've got right now."

"Oh…" Spencer laughed too, although she found herself somewhat disappointed.

"So…you've pretty much been here every day watching me work. Not that I mind an audience, but you've got to have something better to do. I'm sure you've got a boyfriend who's missing hanging out with you."

"I don't have a boyfriend. I'm single."

"Oh." Emily said, nonchalantly.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Emily smiled. "I should really get back to work. Thanks for the drink."

* * *

The next morning, Spencer came downstairs where she saw her father talking with Emily in the living room.

"Do you have any idea when the countertops will be getting here?" Mr. Hastings asked.

"Should be by the middle of next week. They're being imported from Italy, I had to special order them. So until they're delivered, I'm going to continue with the landscaping outside and when my crew gets here, I'll have them start on installing the new kitchen cabinets."

"Sounds good to me. Keep up the good work. You're doing a fantastic job."

"Thank you, Mister Hastings."

"I'm off to a meeting, but if you need anything, Spencer will be here, right Spence?"

"Yeah. I don't have any plans today."

Mr. Hastings then pulled his car keys from his pocket and walked out of the house.

"So...you're really having our counters imported from Italy?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, the manufacturer of the style your parents picked out is headquartered in Rome. All of the work they do is custom designed. Your dad picked one of the most expensive marble countertops, it's costing him a small fortune. Personally, I don't even know why you guys are remodeling this kitchen, it's beautiful just the way it is."

"My dad is just trying to keep up with the neighbors. They recently did a remodel, so naturally my dad has to go bigger and better."

"Perfectly understandable." Emily laughed. "So, does anyone live in your guest house out back there?"

"I was supposed to move in, my parents promised it to me. I did all of the design work and decorating, I put my whole summer into it, then my sister and her fiancé come along and my parents give it to them right out from under me."

"I'm really sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. I'm used to them pulling stuff like that."

"Do you mind if I take a look at the interior?"

"You really want to?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Let's go."

Emily followed Spencer outside, across the yard and into the barn. Emily walked into the kitchen and looked around.

"Spencer, this is amazing. You did all of the work yourself?"

"Yep. I've been thinking about maybe studying interior design."

"You definitely should. You've got some serious talent."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely." Emily said, glancing over into the living room. "This is a lot better work than I've seen from some of the professionals I've worked with."

"Thanks." Spencer blushed slightly, staring at Emily.

Emily only looked away when she heard her cell phone ring. She pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at the caller ID.

"Would you excuse me for just a minute? It's my mom."

"Sure."

Emily then raised her phone to her ear.

"Hi mom. Is everything okay?…I know. I'm sorry I didn't call you back yesterday, I got busy and forgot…no, I'm not seeing anyone right now, nothing new since you asked me last week...no, I don't want to move back to Texas…I'm sure there are plenty of nice girls in Texas, but I like it here in Rosewood…yes, I realize that I'm not getting any younger." Emily rolled her eyes. "Look mom, can we please argue about my love life some other time, I'm working…okay…I'll talk you later…I love you too…okay, bye."

Emily turned around to see Spencer, trying her best to fight a smile.

"I love my mom, but she cares more about me dating someone than I do. She's always telling me about all these nice girls she knows who would be perfect for me."

"Well…why don't you have a girlfriend? I'm sure you wouldn't have any trouble finding someone. You're young and successful."

"Honestly, I prefer to just hit and run. I get what I need and don't have to deal with the emotions, a relationship, or a break-up. It's easier that way. No one gets hurt."

"Who hurt you so badly to make you think that way?"

"No one...I just…meant that I don't want to hurt anyone by getting involved…I'm really busy with work and stuff…that's all." Emily stammered.

"Well, I still find it hard to believe that a nice, church-going girl like you, sleeps with a girl and bails out before she wakes up."

"Fortunately, no one ever accused me of being a saint. Just because I go to church every week doesn't mean that I don't still have needs to be sated every now and again."

A few moments later, Melissa walked into the barn with shopping bags full of things for the barn.

"Melissa, have you met Emily? She's the architect working on the remodel. Emily, this is my sister, Melissa."

"Hi, Emily Fields." Emily said, extending her hand to Melissa.

"Excuse me, but is my father paying you to stand around and chit chat with my sister?"

"No. I suppose he isn't." Emily chuckled. "I'll be outside, then. It was nice meeting you." Emily said, looking at Melissa before exiting the barn.

"Why do you have to be so rude?" Spencer snapped. "Emily was nothing but nice."

"I don't care if she's the nicest person on the planet. She's being paid to do a job so she should be doing it."

"You're unbelievable. Where do you even get off talking to people the way you do?"

Spencer then turned around and stormed out of the barn, slamming the door behind her.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Before Emily left the Hastings' house for the evening, Spencer caught up with the architect as she was loading some equipment into the back of her truck.

"Listen...Emily, I want you to know that I'm really sorry about how my sister treated you earlier. She can be a little difficult."

"She seems like quite a trip, that's for sure." Emily laughed as she unbuckled her tool belt from her waist and tossed it into the truck. "But it's okay. I've worked with clients a lot more outspoken than your sister. "

"Still, I just wanted to apologize. She was totally rude to you. I didn't want you to get the impression that I'm at all like her."

"Don't worry, I never got that impression from you at all, but thank you for apologizing…well, I really should get home and take a shower...that is if I can even manage to get this shirt off." Emily said, tugging at her sweat-soaked tank top. "It wasn't even supposed to get so hot today."

Spencer now found herself unable to focus on anything, except picturing Emily in the shower.

"Spencer? Are you okay?" Emily asked, noticing the spaced-out expression on the brunette's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered a homework assignment that I forgot to do."

"I'll let you get to your homework, then. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be here." Spencer smiled.

"Cool. Have a good night." Emily said as she walked around to the driver's side of her truck.

"Thanks. You too."

* * *

A few days later

"So did you guys check out the Hastings' daughter the other day?" Mike asked.

"Which one?" Ben asked.

"The older one."

"You know she's engaged, right?" Emily said. "And totally stuck up and condescending."

"Who cares. She's crazy hot." Mike said. "Speaking of hot girls...Em, I know this girl who wants to go out with you."

"Who is it?" Emily asked.

"You don't know her, she's a friend of my brother."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I don't really do blind dates."

"Come on, Em. She's totally hot. You'll like her."

"I'm sure she's great, but I'm really not interested in dating anyone."

"Well...I sort of already told her you'd take her out."

"You what? Why would you do that?" Emily said, obviously frustrated. "Now I'm gonna look like a total ass if I don't go. Thanks. Not cool, dude."

"Maybe you should go, Em." Ben said. "You might have a good time, besides, you haven't seriously dated anyone since Stephanie."  
"Why do you guys all care so much about me dating? You're almost as bad as my mom. She calls me everyday and asks me if I have a girlfriend yet."

"We just want you to be happy, Em." Chris said. "And I don't think you will be until you let go of Stephanie. You're not the only person to ever get cheated on by a girlfriend."

"Can we not go the Stephanie route today, please? A, I don't really feel like talking about this and B, I've told you guys, I'm over it. I'm over her. I put the whole situation behind me when I left Texas and moved back to Pennsylvania. I don't want to hear anything else about it."

"Sorry, Em." Chris said, sympathetically.

"It's cool." Emily said. "I appreciate that you guys care about me, but I'm fine, really."

"So are you gonna go on this date or what?" Mike asked. "What's the worst that could possibly happen, you go out with this girl, turn on the charm and take her home with you. Besides, You can't tell me you aren't dying to get a little action."

"Just because I haven't seriously dated anyone in a while doesn't mean I haven't slept with anyone. I get enough when I want it."

"Dude, Emily gets girls that most guys only dream of hooking up with." Ben chimed in. "Do you have any idea how many guys would kill to be in your position, Em?"

"You've definitely got a way with the ladies." Mike said. "You have an advantage, so use it. Just take this girl out, I know you'll like her."

Emily just rolled her eyes.

"When did you tell this girl we were going out?" Emily asked.

"Friday night. I said you'd meet her at the Applerose Grille at eight."

"What if I already have plans?"

Mike just stated at Emily, skeptically.

"What do you have going on? You get up you work, then you go home and work more. I hate to say it, but your life's not that exciting."

"Fine. I'll go. But you better never do this to me again, if you do, I'll break your legs."

* * *

After school, Spencer had been in her back yard, practicing for field hockey. She lined her stick up and swung, sending her targeted ball flying through the air and straight at Emily who was now walking through the yard, not paying any attention at all.

"Emily!" Spencer shouted across the yard.

Emily's head snapped up to see the ball, she reacted quickly, reaching up and catching the ball in her right hand.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry." Spencer said as she ran over to Emily. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Emily said, tossing the ball to Spencer. "That's a pretty mean shot you've got there, it's definitely got some bite to it." Emily shook her hand, trying to rid the stinging sensation left by the ball. "Your aim could use some work though."

"Tell me about it." Spencer groaned. "I missed two penalty shots in my game last week. I totally suck." Spencer dropped the stick and ball to the ground.

"No you don't." Emily said as she bent down and picked up the hockey stick. "I think you just need to open up your stance a little bit, you'd get better control that way."

"You think so?"

"Definitely." Emily said as she scooped the ball up, balancing it on the stick.

"Were you a hockey player?" Spencer asked, impressed by Emily's skill.

"Nope. I was a swimmer, but I love sports and I briefly dated a girl when I was in high school who played hockey. I used to help her practice."

"Cool...so you think I should open up my stance, huh? Maybe you could show me exactly what you mean?"

"Is your sister gonna come out and yell at me for slacking off?" Emily asked, nonchalantly bouncing the ball on the stick.

Spencer laughed.

"She's not here. She's in Philadelphia for the day."

"All right then." Emily said, discarding the ball.

"First off, spread your feet further apart." Emily gently tapped the insides of Spencer's sneakers with the hockey stick.

Spencer did as she was told, moving her feet approximately shoulder-width apart.

"Okay, now take this." Emily handed Spencer back the stick. "Relax your shoulders. Your posture is way too ridged. You'll never pull off a good shot like that."

"How's this?" Spencer asked, wrapping her hands around the stick and leaning down, slightly.

"Better. But your shoulders are still way too tense, loosen up a little bit." Emily said as she placed her hands on Spencer's shoulders from behind. "Relax your whole upper body."

Spencer smiled to herself as she felt Emily's hands on her shoulders.

"There you go. That's a lot better." Emily said, gently squeezing Spencer's shoulders when she felt the brunette finally relax her body.

"Now, just turn your hips a tiny bit this way." Emily said, placing her hands on Spencer's hips and turning her body slightly.

Being in such close proximity to one another allowed Spencer to take in the hot, musky scent of Emily's perfume which mingled with a hint of a cedar-like scent, presumably from the wood chips Emily was working with on the landscaping around the barn.

"Where do you think I should put my hands?" Spencer asked, turning her head to look over at Emily's face.

Emily reached her arms around to the front of Spencer's body and placed her own hands on top of Spencer's.

"Put your top hand right about here." Emily said, sliding Spencer's hand down over the stick. "And your other hand down here. Perfect. Don't move." Emily said, letting go of Spencer's hands.

Emily then picked up the orange practice ball lying in the grass nearby and placed it on the ground near Spencer's feet.

"Okay. Now shoot. Right in between those two trees there." Emily said, stepping back and folding her arms over her chest.

Spencer looked up at her target then back down at the ball. She pulled her stick back and swung hard at the ball, which went sailing through the air, across the yard and perfectly in between the two trees, which she was aiming at.

"Nice shot." Emily said.

"Wow, that was perfect." Spencer smiled.

Without even thinking about it, Spencer walked over to Emily and wrapped her arms tightly around the raven-haired girl's body.

"Thanks. Now I might actually score a goal."

"You're welcome." Emily smiled, placing her hand on Spencer's back. "I'm happy to help, but right now, I have some work to get done, or else your dad'll have my head."

"Thanks, again." Spencer said as she pulled away from Emily.

"No problem." Emily smiled as she turned around and walked off.

 


	6. Chapter 6

The next day at school.

"Hey Spence." Aria said, with Hanna following as they approached Spencer who was pulling some books from her locker.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Not too much. You've been kinda MIA lately."

"Yeah." Hanna agreed. "I see you at school then you pretty much disappear. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I've just been really busy with student council and hockey and stuff. You guys wanna hang out on Friday night?"

"I can't…I sort of have a date." Aria said.

"Really? Did Noel Kahn finally ask you out?" Hanna said.

"Yeah, this morning. We're going to a movie."

"I told you Mona said he was gonna ask you out. Don't underestimate her ability to find stuff out."

Spencer just rolled her eyes.

"What about you Han, you wanna hang out on Friday night?"

"Sorry, Spence, but I have a date too."

"With that new kid?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, his name's Caleb. He's not my usual type, but we've been out a few times and I think there might be some chemistry between us."

"Alison's going away this weekend, so I guess I'll just be flying solo then." Spencer said as she shut her locker door.

"We can do something on Saturday night, but in the meantime, we need to find you a man, Spence." Hanna said, as she and her friends began walking down the hall. "Anyone you've got your eye on?"

"Not really. Guys are way too much trouble…I gotta get to class, I'll see you guys later."

"Okay. Bye Spence." Aria said as she watched Spencer walk off down the hall.

* * *

Friday evening.

Spencer wandered through the house, stopping at her father's office. She knocked on the door, which was already slightly cracked open.

"Hey dad."

"Hey Spence. Do you need something?"

"I just wanted to see if maybe you wanted to go to the country club and play some tennis with me?"

"I can't, I've got tons of emails and phone calls to return. Ask your mother." Peter said as he went back to tapping on his phone.

"Are you coming to my hockey game next week?"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to make it this time. Your mother and I are going to be backed up with late meetings all week. Sorry, sport."

"It's fine." Spencer said, turning around as moving toward the door. "You never come to my games anyway." She sighed under her breath as she walked out of the room.

Spencer then walked into the living room where she found her mother sitting on the couch, looking over some paperwork.

"Hi mom."

"Hi honey." Veronica said, barely looking up from the papers in her hands.

"What are you looking at?" Spencer asked.

"Just some court orders and trial transcripts, nothing too exciting."

"Would you be able to take a break? I was hoping maybe you'd feel like going to club to play some tennis or something with me."

"I'd love to, but I really can't right now. I've got a lot of paperwork to go through. Maybe this weekend. Why don't you call your friends?" Veronica asked, looking back down at the papers in her hand.

"They're all busy with other stuff tonight. I guess I'll just go for a walk or something then."

"Okay honey."

"Then maybe I'll get drunk, buy some drugs and get shanked in an alley." Spencer said, suspecting her mother had stopped listening.

"Just don't stay out too late, okay sweetheart?"

Spencer just shook her head and walked out the door without saying another word. Spencer slowly walked to the end of the sidewalk and looked across the street at the DiLaurentis' house. It was completely dark, as they had gone away for the weekend. Although Alison usually got on Spencer's nerves, many times to the point where Spencer questioned their friendship, at least Alison paid attention, which was more than Spencer could say for her family most days. Spencer crossed the street and continued walking. For the next fifteen or so minutes, Spencer wandered aimlessly through Rosewood, only stopping when she reached the Applerose Grille, after deciding that she could really use a cup of coffee. Spencer walked up to the front of the restaurant, opened the door and stepped inside. She walked up to the counter, ordered a cup of the restaurant's strongest coffee and waited for the clerk to return. As Spencer waited for her coffee, she turned around and leaned against the counter, she stared off into the distance across the restaurant, where she spotted Emily sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room.

"Here's your coffee." The clerk said.

"Thanks." Spencer said, turning around and taking the cup off of the counter.

Spencer then walked across the crowded room to the table where Emily was sitting. Emily didn't even notice Spencer approaching her, as she sat absentmindedly fingering the  
napkin in front of her.

"Hi, Emily."

Emily looked up to see Spencer standing in front of her.

"Hey, Spencer. It's nice to see you."

"You too. Are you alone?"

"It's beginning to look that way." Emily said looking at her watch, it was nearly nine o'clock. "I was supposed to meet my date here at eight, but she hasn't shown up yet. I think I've been stood up."

"How could someone just not show up?"

"I don't know, but I knew a blind date was a bad idea from the beginning. Remind me to never let my friends set me up again…I guess I should still order something to eat though. I'm starving, but I didn't want to be rude by ordering something before my date showed up…"

"You're worried about being rude, yet your date is an hour late and never called to cancel?"

"Yeah well, My mother always taught me to be polite, there is no other option…listen Spencer, if you're not too busy, you're more than welcome to join me for dinner."

"I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Great. Why don't you sit down? I'm sure the waitress will be back in a minute."

Spencer set her coffee cup on the table and pulled out her chair, before taking a seat across from Emily.

"So, what are you up to tonight?"

"Not too much, I just stopped by for some coffee and I saw you, so I thought I'd come say hello."

"I'm glad you did."

After a few minutes, a waitress approached the table and took Emily and Spencer's orders. As the waitress began walking away, Emily pulled her phone from her jacket pocket when she heard it chime.

"Excuse me for just one minute." Emily said as she began typing on her phone.

After a moment Emily slipped her phone back into her jacket.

"Was it important?" Spencer asked.

"Not really. My mom wants to come visit me. She just wanted to know when is good for me, though I guess it really doesn't matter when she comes, she'll just end up spending the whole time scouring Rosewood to find me a girlfriend."

"Does your mother know you prefer to hit it and quit it?" Spencer smirked.

"God no. And I'm sure that as far as my mother is concerned, I'm still a virgin, even though she knows it's not true. She thinks I can't do any wrong."

"At least she's supportive. You and your mom are close..." Spencer said, her words coming as more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah, we are. My dad's in the Army. He was away a lot when I was growing up, so it was just my mom and I most of the time."

"Can I ask you kind of a personal question?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Was it hard for you to come out to your mom?"

"I come from a pretty hardcore Catholic, military family. Coming out was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my entire life. I was sure my mom would hate me, but I couldn't keep lying to myself or to her."

"Obviously she doesn't hate you though."

"No, but things were pretty tense between us for a while. There were a lot of tears, but eventually she got over it. I think my dad really helped change her mind. He was on my side the whole time."

"Is your dad overseas now?"

"No, right now he's stationed at the Fort hood military base in Texas. He does mostly training and supervising new recruits."

"So...you said you went to college in Texas. That's not exactly close to Rosewood. How'd you end up here?" Spencer asked.

"After I graduated from Texas Tech, I had a lot going on in my life. I felt like I needed a fresh start somewhere new. I made a lot of good professional connections when I was an apprentice architect and I ended up being referred to a few clients in the Philadelphia area who were willing to pay me top dollar to work for them. I don't like to brag, but I was considered somewhat of a prodigy in college."

"I believe it. My dad is really impressed with your work and he's unbelievably particular about everything. Do you like living in Pennsylvania?"

"I do. I was actually born in Philadelphia, but my family didn't live there for long before my dad got transferred to another Army base."

"Do you think you'll stay in Rosewood for a while?"

"I'd like to. It's nice here. Besides, I feel like I need a more permanent home. The four years I was in college at Texas Tech was the longest I'd ever lived in one place. My dad was given a permanent training position at the Army base in Fort Hood, unless of course, his unit is needed overseas."

"Moving so much must have been really tough on you as a kid."

"It was. I'd just start to get used to one school and new friends, then my parents would tell me to pack up because we were moving again. Eventually, I learned to just distance myself from people. I mean what's the point of letting yourself get close to people if you're just going to be shipped off to another city in six months? Part of the reason I love architecture so much is that buildings are stationary, once they're built, they're pretty much there to stay.

A moment later, the waitress returned with their orders.

"This one's yours." The waitress said, setting a plate down in front of Spencer. "And here's yours." She turned and set the second plate in front of Emily. "Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

Emily glanced across the table at Spencer, who shook her head.

"No, I think we're good. Thanks." Emily said.

"All right. I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes then." The waitress said, before walking off.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you…" Spencer said. "Thanks a lot for helping me with my hockey stance the other day, I've totally killed all of my shots in practice the last few days."

"I'm glad to hear it and I'm happy to help. How's school going for you?"

Spencer smiled to herself, she couldn't remember the last time her parents asked how things were at school.

"It's great. I really like school, I always have. I've been really busy though, I have all AP classes. In between homework, projects and hockey sometimes I feel like I barely have time to breathe."

"You must be keeping up pretty well if you took classes at U Penn over the summer."

"I work really hard to keep straight A's. My family has ridiculously high expectations…my parents are obsessed with me becoming a lawyer."

"I thought you said you wanted to study interior design." Emily said, recalling their previous conversation in the barn.

"I'd love to study interior design…but my dad doesn't think it's a practical career for me."

"Well…what do you think?"

"I don't know…I mean, it'd probably be a lot easier for me to get a job as an attorney, but I'm not sure that becoming a lawyer is what I want. Then again, I really don't want my parents to be disappointed in me…"

"Spencer…if you do everything in your life based on what other people want, the only person you'll end up disappointing is yourself."

"Maybe you're right."

"I know I am. Trust me, I've spent way too much time trying to please everyone but myself. You should do what ever you want to, don't worry about what your parents or anyone else thinks."

"Thanks, Emily."

"I should be thanking you."

"For what?"

"For keeping me company tonight, I'm sure you had a million other places you'd rather have been than here talking to me on a Friday night."

"Actually, I like talking to you."

"Really? Why's that?"

"You pay attention to me. You actually listen. No one else does. My family barely even knows I exist. My parents never come to my hockey games, or ask me how my day was, they don't even know where I am half of the time."

"Well, it's their loss for missing out. They've got an amazing daughter. They're lucky."

* * *

"Here's your check." The waitress said, placing the slip of paper down in the middle of the table.

"Thank you." Emily said.

Once the waitress had walked away, Emily picked up the check and looked at it. Spencer then pulled some money out of her pocket and handed it to Emily.

"Oh no, Spencer. Please, it's on me." Emily said, handing the bills back to the brunette.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, I insist."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go pay for this." Emily said as she stood up. "I'll be right back."

After a few minutes, Emily returned to the table.

"You ready to go?" Emily asked.

"Yep." Spencer said, standing up.

Spencer and Emily both made their way to the front of the restaurant and out the door.

"Where did you park? I'll walk you to your car." Emily said.

"I actually walked here tonight."

"Then I'll drive you home."

"You don't have to do that. I don't want you to have to go out of your way for me. I can walk."

"What kind of person would I be if I let a young, pretty girl walk home by herself in the dark? Come on."

Spencer followed Emily across the parking lot to a small white car on the other side of the lot.

"You drive a Prius?" Spencer asked as she walked around to the passenger side of Emily's car and got in.

"Yeah. I feel really guilty about driving a diesel truck for work, so I felt like the least I could do for the environment was buy a hybrid."

"Are you going to be working at my house tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but I'm only working half a day tomorrow. I have plans tomorrow night."

"I hope it's not another blind date."

"It isn't." Emily laughed. "My church's youth group leader is sick, so I'm filling in for the evening."

"You really are something else, you know that?"

"I try."  
All too soon, Spencer found herself back in her own driveway, desperately not wanting to move from Emily's car.

"I had a really nice time with you tonight." Spencer said, looking over at Emily. "We should hang out again sometime soon."

"We should. I'm actually glad my date didn't show up."

As Spencer stared over at Emily, she wanted nothing more than for Emily to just lean over and kiss her. Emily would have been lying if she said the thought of kissing Spencer at that moment never crossed her mind. But nevertheless, Emily fought the urge as she and Spencer sat in silence for a few long moments.

"I…guess I should let you go." Spencer said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Okay."

"Thanks again for dinner and the ride home."

"Don't mention it. Goodnight, Spencer."

"Goodnight." Spencer said as she opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Emily sat in her car, waiting to make sure Spencer got into the house safely. Once Spencer had disappeared into the house, Emily quietly drove off into the darkness.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Spencer closed the front door of the house and turned around, where she noticed her mother sitting in the kitchen with her sister.

"What the hell are you so happy about?" Melissa asked, referencing the fact that Spencer hadn't stopped smiling from ear to ear since she turned around.

"Nothing." Spencer said, quickly wiping the grin from her face.

"Where have you been?" Veronica asked.

"I told you I was going out." Spencer said. "You were sitting in the living room going through paperwork, but you were too busy to even listen to me."

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm just under a lot of stress right now."

"It's fine. I get it."

"Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat."

"I already ate…I'll be up in my room."

Spencer then walked out of the kitchen and disappeared upstairs. She walked into her bedroom, closed the door and flopped down on her bed. Spencer pulled her phone from her pocket and began composing a new text message, with Emily as the recipient. Spencer typed and erased numerous times, eventually deciding to trash the message altogether, not wanting to feel like she was bothering Emily. Spencer laid her phone down on the bed and placed both of her hands behind her head as she recounted every last detail of her evening with Emily. Spencer could feel her crush on Emily intensifying each day that she saw the architect and although Spencer didn't get the kiss that she so desperately desired, she was still happy to have been able to spend the time with Emily.

* * *

Late the next afternoon, Emily was kneeling on the ground, spreading some wood chips out around the barn, when Melissa stepped outside.

"This side over here looks a little thin." Melissa said, crossing her arms over her chest looking down at the ground. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"You're right." Emily said, glancing up at Melissa. "Not to worry, though. I'll be sure to take care of it right away, Miss Hastings."

"Good. You missed a spot over there too, you know." Melissa said, condescendingly as she pointed to the side of the barn.

Before Emily could respond, Melissa turned and walked across the yard, passing Spencer as she neared the house.

"Hi, Emily."

"Hey, Spencer. How's it going?" Emily said, standing up.

"Good, thanks. What did she say to you?"

"Who? Your sister?"

"Yeah, was she rude to you because if she was…"

"It's okay. She was just critiquing my work a little bit. There's nothing wrong with a little constructive criticism."

"I know my sister. She doesn't do constructive criticism."

"It's fine, really. She's the one that's going to be living here, so I need to do the work up to her standards. Is there something I can do for you or are you just out here enjoying the nice weather? It really turned out to be a gorgeous day."

"I actually came out to see if you wanted anything to eat or drink...I can make you something…"

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Emily smiled. "I actually need to pack up and get going here shortly."

Emily then reached into her pocket when she heard her phone chime. She opened her text messages and read over the one that she had just received.

"Crap." Emily sighed as she typed on her phone before placing it back into her pocket.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"The two people who were supposed to be helping me with tonight's youth group just canceled on me. I don't know if I can handle it by myself. Tonight's the younger group of kids."

"Do you not like kids?"

"It's not that at all. I love kids, I'm just not sure how well things will go, being just me left to handle a group of like fifteen six year-olds."

"Well...I'm free tonight, I could give you a hand."

"That's really sweet of you Spencer, but I could never ask you to do that for me."

"You never asked me to do anything. I'm volunteering."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"I don't mind at all, I'd love to help you out. It might even be fun."

"Thank you so much. You're totally amazing." Emily said, placing her hand on Spencer's shoulder.

"No problem." Spencer smiled. "What time do you want me?"

"Youth group starts at six. I promise it'll be short."

"Do you want me to meet you at the church a little before six?"

"Sure...I mean unless you wanted to come by my place with me. I was just gonna run home and take a quick shower, then head to the church. We could go over together and I can bring you home afterward."

"Sure. That sounds great."

"In that case, just give me a few minutes to pack up my stuff and we'll get going."

"Okay. I'll be right back, I just wanna go grab my phone."

When Spencer returned and Emily had finished loading her truck, Emily walked over to the passenger side door and opened it for Spencer.

"Thanks." Spencer said as she climbed into Emily's huge candy apple red Dodge Ram truck.

"Be careful, my truck's kind of a pain to get in to."

Once Spencer was inside, Emily shut the door, walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"I like your truck. It's really nice."

"Thanks. My parents bought it for me right after I graduated college."

"That was really cool of them."

"Yeah, it was. I told them not to, because I knew it was really expensive, but they insisted."

"They probably couldn't help themselves, I'm sure they were just really proud of you."

"Thanks." Emily said, glancing over at Spencer.

"So...do you live far from here?" Spencer asked.

"No, I'm only about ten minutes away, just on the other side of town."

When they arrived at Emily's apartment, she parked her truck next to her Prius in the tenant parking lot. She and Spencer both got out and made their way to Emily's apartment. Emily unlocked the door and Spencer followed her inside. The apartment was much larger than Spencer had expected it would have been. It was very open and spacious between the kitchen and living room. There was also a small dining area, near the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry that my place is kind of a mess." Emily said, picking up a pair of jeans that were draped over the back of the chair in front of her desk. "I haven't had much time to clean lately."

"It's okay. I don't mind at all. You're obviously busy with work and everything."

"Why don't you go ahead and make yourself at home. I haven't been grocery shopping in a while, but if you're hungry, you can eat what ever you can find that isn't growing hair."

"I'm fine, thanks." Spencer laughed.

Emily laughed too.

"I'm gonna jump in the shower, I'll be quick."

"Take your time, no hurry."

Once Emily had disappeared into the bathroom, Spencer wandered throughout the apartment. She walked over to Emily's large, corner desk, half of which was taken up by Emily's desktop computer. The other half of the desk was cluttered, yet somewhat organized with multiple half-finished architectural drawings, house ware and tool catalogues and other paperwork. Spencer picked up a photo in a frame from the corner of the desk, near the computer monitor. The photo was of Emily standing in between a middle-aged man and woman who Spencer assumed were probably Emily's parents. Spencer placed the photo back on the desk and noticed Emily's degree from Texas Tech hanging on the wall above the desk. Spencer then focused her attention on the bookshelf, near the couch, which was packed full of books about building, architectural design, famous structures, home improvement and landscaping. A few books about interior design as well as a copy of the Bible. Spencer picked up a hard cover book about Roman architecture and began to flip through the full-page color photos. After about ten minutes, Emily walked out of the bathroom and was about to step into her bedroom, when she looked over and noticed Spencer standing near the bookshelf.

"Find something interesting?" Emily asked.

"Oh...yeah...I was just..." A slightly startled Spencer stuttered and almost dropped the book in her hands as she turned around to find Emily in just a bra, with a towel wrapped low around her waist.

Spencer immediately became distracted by the sight of Emily standing in front of her, half naked. Emily reached up and pulled her hair back into a pony tail as Spencer's eyes followed a few droplets of water as they cascaded down the raven-haired girl's neck and chest. Unable to help herself, Spencer's eyes slipped lower to Emily's toned abdominal muscles. Emily was in better shape than Spencer could have ever imagined and even the architect's impossibly tight t shirts that she wore to work didn't do her bare body nearly enough justice.

"This is one of my favorite books." Emily said, walking over to Spencer. "I really love Italian architecture."

The sound of Emily's voice snapped Spencer out of her thoughts.

"It's beautiful." Spencer said, forcing herself to look Emily in the eyes. "Have you read all of these books?" Spencer closed the book she was holding and placed it back on the book shelf.

"Yep. Some I've even read twice. If you're interested in interior designing, you should really take a look at this one." Emily pulled a book off of the shelf and handed it to Spencer. "There's a lot of great information in here. Why don't you take it home with you and read it over?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So...what exactly do you do at youth group? I'm sorry, I'm just not really like a regular church-attending person, so I don't really know...I mean I believe in God and everything, don't get me wrong..."

"Relax, Spencer. It's cool. Church isn't for everyone. You can still believe without participating in organized religion. And even if you didn't believe in God, it doesn't mean I'd respect you any less. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, I would never treat someone badly because their beliefs are different from my own."

* _Could you possibly be any more perfect?_ * Spencer thought to herself.

"You're not like most of the Christians I know, everyone who goes to my country club thinks that going to church makes them a saint and gives them the right to judge everyone else...can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, even though I haven't been to church in forever, I know that a lot of Christians still aren't exactly big on being gay. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Luckily, everyone at my church has accepted me and pretty much welcomed me with open arms, but I know that, unfortunately there are people out there who will judge me and dislike me based only on my sexual orientation, but I don't let it get to me. God made me this way for a reason. I just pray for those people and hope that God will touch their hearts and make them realize that love is love, whether it be between two men, two women or a man and a woman, it doesn't make any difference, the feeling is still exactly the same."

"You're absolutely right. I just wish there weren't still so many closed-minded people in the world."

"I know. But look at it this way, things are changing, slowly but surely. Nowadays, for every one closed-minded person, there are probably two open-minded people willing to stand up for you. Oh and I never answered your other question…you wanted to know what we do at youth group. Usually with the younger kids, we read to them from the Bible, take a short snack break, then play some type of Bible related game, focusing on what we just learned. Youth group usually only lasts like and hour and a half."

"So…I'm gonna go put some clothes on, then we can leave. I'll be back in a minute." Emily said as she turned and walked toward the bedroom.

"You ready to go?" Emily asked when she returned a few minutes later.

"I'm ready if you are."

"Okay, let's get going, then. I don't want to be late."

 


	8. Chapter 8

When they got to the church parking lot, Emily shut the car off. She and Spencer both stepped out of the Prius and made their way toward the church.

"So...I won't like burst into flames or anything when I walk in there right? I can't even remember the last time I was in church."

"You'll be fine. I promise." Emily laughed.

Emily opened the door and allowed Spencer to walk inside first.

"The rec room is downstairs." Emily said. "Follow me."

It wasn't long before the first few kids were dropped off by their parents. After a few minutes, a little girl with dark hair pulled up into pig tails entered the room holding her mother's hand. Upon spotting Emily, the girl dropped her mother's hand, ran over to Emily and attached herself to the architect's leg.

"Hey, kiddo." Emily lifted the girl up into her arms. "How are you?" Emily asked, gently poking the girl in the stomach, causing her to giggle.

"Good."

"Hi, Emily." The girl's mother, a young brunette said, approaching the architect.

"Hey, Amanda. I didn't know you were bringing Lilly tonight." Emily said.

"Yeah. My mom's been pushing Josh and I to get into the habit of taking Lilly to church, so I figured youth group would be a good place to start with her. Are you in charge of it?"

"Sort of, well tonight anyway. I try to volunteer to help out a few times a month, but the regular youth group leader is sick, so I'm just kind of filling in for the evening. I guess we'll see how it goes."

Emily then turned toward Spencer.

"Amanda, this is my friend, Spencer, lucky for me, she was nice enough to volunteer to help me tonight."

"Spencer, this is Amanda. She's married to my cousin."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Spencer said, extending her hand to the woman.

"You too."

"Oh and this cutie is Lilly." Emily said.

"She's adorable." Spencer smiled at the five year old whose arms were wrapped tightly around Emily's neck.

"I'll tell you what, you're getting heavy, kid." Emily said, setting Lilly back down on the ground. "How do you like kindergarten?"

"It's fun." Lilly smiled.

"Oh yeah?" Emily said. "What's your favorite part?"

"I like art class and music and reading, but math is my favorite."

"She really loves her teacher too." Amanda said.

"That's great." Emily said.

"Mommy, can I go play with those kids?" Lilly asked pointing to a group of three girls across the room.

"Go ahead." Amanda said. "But when I leave, you behave for Emily, okay?"

"Kay."

"Hold on a second." Emily said. "Let me tie your shoe first."

Emily then knelt down to the ground and took the shoe laces in her hands.

"All right, there you go, sweetheart." Emily said.

"Thank you." Lilly said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and hugged her.

"You're welcome."

Spencer smiled to herself as she watched the exchange between Emily and her cousin's daughter.

"Lilly's really grown attached to you." Amanda said.

"I've gotten pretty attached to her too. I love that little girl."

"Hey Emily, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go use the restroom before the rest of the kids get here." Spencer said.

"Sure. I'll be here when you get back." Emily smiled at Spencer.

"So...Spencer's pretty cute, Em. Is she just a friend or maybe something more..." Amanda asked.

"Not you too…" Emily said, shaking her head. "Spencer's just a friend."

"I take it your mom is still giving you a hard time about not seeing anyone?"

"It's not just her, it's everyone. But it's especially bad with my mom, she calls me all the time and I'm glad that we're keeping in touch, but she's constantly asking if I'm dating anyone, I say no, then she questions why. I feel like we just run in circles over and over again."

"My mom was the same way when I was single. Then when Josh and I had been dating for a while, she kept asking when we were getting married. It's just a mom thing. Don't let it get to you, Em. Your mom just loves you a lot and wants you to find someone."

* * *

Later that evening.

"Spencer, thanks so much for coming with me tonight." Emily said as she and Spencer walked out to Emily's car. "I really appreciate your help."

"You're welcome. I'm happy to help, but I'm sure you would have been fine on your own. You're amazing with kids.''

"Thanks."

When they got to the car, Emily walked over to the passenger side.

"Here, let me get that for you." Emily said as she opened the door for Spencer.

"Thanks." Spencer smiled. "How are you still single?" Spencer asked, running her hand down Emily's arm, before getting into the car.

Emily then walked around to the front of the car and got in.

"So…you wanna go get a cup of coffee or something, on me?" Emily asked. "If you don't have other plans, of course. Because if you do, it's okay. I can take you home."

Spencer looked down at her phone in her lap, which was vibrating to indicate that she had an incoming call from Hanna.

"I don't have any other plans. Coffee sounds great." Spencer said, pressing the decline call button on the phone.

After a few minutes of driving, Emily stopped at a small, local coffee shop.

"Is this place okay?" Emily asked, glancing over at Spencer.

"Sure. It's perfect."

Spencer and Emily both got out of the car and headed inside.

"How do like your coffee?" Emily asked.

"Black is perfect."

"Nice. I like a girl who likes it a little bitter."

Emily stepped up to the counter and order the coffee. Spencer leaned on the counter, staring longingly at Emily. Spencer was much too busy day dreaming to realize that Emily was asking her a question. Emily glanced over at the brunette beside her.

"Spencer? Are you okay?" Emily asked, placing her hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, I just spaced out for a minute. Did you say something."

"I just wanted to know if you'd like doughnut or something?" Emily asked.

"A raspberry scone would be great, actually."

"You got it."

A few moments later the clerk returned with the coffee that Emily had ordered. Emily and Spencer then walked back outside and sat down on a large wooden bench outside of the coffee shop.

"Here you go." Emily said, handing one of the cups over to Spencer.

"This is yours too." Emily pulled a large raspberry scone out of the bag she was holding and gave it to Spencer.

"Thank you. This place totally has the best raspberry scones." Spencer said. "They're my all-time favorite."

"So…did you always know that you wanted to be an architect?" Spencer asked as she took a bite of the pastry in her hand.

"No. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was younger. I told you that I came out to my mom when I was sixteen, after things got pretty tense between us, for the longest time I had felt kind of lost and alone. I actually thought a lot about joining the military, I thought maybe it could help me find the strength I was looking for, you know, being part of a team and everything."

"What changed your mind?"

"Well…I had talked to my mom about it and after she said that there was no way in hell she'd ever let her baby join the Army, that was the end of that. So…I began to explore other career options. I never really thought much about college, I considered finishing high school and becoming a carpenter. I had taken quite a few wood and metal shop classes in junior high, I knew I really liked working with my hands and building things was something that I was actually pretty good at. It was the first semester of my junior year of high school that I realized how much I wanted to be an architect."

"What happened? Did you have like a teacher or someone who encouraged you to do it?"

"Sort of. I scheduled a computer technology class focused on computer aided drafting. I thought it might be helpful for carpentry and it was, but I really loved it and I was good at it. My teacher told me I had a lot of talent and he thought I'd make an outstanding architect."

"He was right." Spencer smiled, placing her hand on Emily's knee.

"Thanks. So from there, I decided that I really wanted to go to college and I worked extra hard to get ahead."

"I guess everything worked out pretty well…around the time that we first met, I remember you telling me that you finished high school almost a year early."

"I did and I was lucky enough to get both an academic and athletic scholarship to pay for my tuition."

"What sport did you get the scholarship for?"

"It was for swimming."

"I think I remember you telling me that you were a swimmer."

"The scholarship was just an added bonus for me though. I swam because it was something that I loved to do. Being in the water always made me feel really free, I would have continued to swim even it was just for fun."

"Well, obviously you were good if they gave you a scholarship for it. Not to mention, I'm sure you looked great in a Speedo, you probably still do."

"Thanks." Emily blushed slightly. "That's sweet of you to say, especially since I've gained a few pounds since college."

"From what I saw today, you know, you in just a towel…I'd say you're in great shape. You've definitely got some pretty nice abs."

"Spencer Hastings. Did you just openly admit to checking out my abs?" Emily laughed.

"How could anyone possibly miss them?"

"It's good to know that I've got somewhat of edge, even over straight girls." Emily laughed again. "Thank you for that."

"No problem." Spencer said, raising her paper coffee cup to her lips.

"Hey, I almost forgot." Emily said. "I wanted to tell you to let your dad know that the countertops for the kitchen should be here by next week. Thursday at the latest."

"I'll let him know, if I even see him, between now and then, that is."

"You live together, why wouldn't you see him?"

"I hardly ever see either of my parents or if they're actually home, they're too busy working to even notice me. I asked my dad if he was coming to my hockey game next week and of course he said he's too busy. It's not even until Wednesday, that's four days away and he already says he's too busy. But somehow my mom and dad always manage to find time for my sister. And every time Melissa and I get into a fight, I always get blamed for starting it. It's annoying."

"I'm really sorry about your parents…"

"It's okay. It's not your fault my parents suck. At least my dad did one thing right though…"

"Which is?"

"He hired you, didn't he?" Spencer said, matter-of-factly.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Early Monday morning.

Spencer had been in her room getting dressed when she heard a car outside of her house. Spencer walked over to her bedroom window and pulled back the curtain to find Emily's truck pulling into her driveway. Spencer quickly finished getting dressed and looked into her full-length mirror. She fixed her hair countless times over the next few minutes and when she was finally satisfied with the way her hair looked, Spencer pulled on a pair of black, nearly knee-high Tory Burch boots. She then inched her skirt up higher and higher, showing off as much of her legs as she possibly could. Spencer then took one last look in the mirror, tossed her brunette locks back over her shoulder and made her way downstairs, where she found Emily alone in the kitchen, as the rest of her crew had yet to arrive.

"Hey, Emily." Spencer said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey." Emily turned around to face Spencer.

Emily's gaze slowly wandered from Spencer's face, down to her legs. After a few long moments, Emily caught herself staring and quickly refocused her attention.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left for school."

"You are?" Spencer asked, grinning brightly.

"Yeah. I have something for you."

Emily then reached into a bag, which was sitting on the kitchen island. She pulled out a box, containing six large raspberry scones.

"I hope you haven't had breakfast yet." Emily said, opening the box. "These were just out of the oven, when I walked into the coffee shop this morning, so they should be good."

"You brought me raspberry scones?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to say thanks again for helping me out the other night. You said these were your favorite, so I picked some up on the way here." Emily said, holding the box out to Spencer. "Go ahead, have one."

"I'd love one." Spencer said, reaching into the box. "But you really didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to."

"Well, thank you and now you have to sit down here and eat with me." Spencer smiled. "I'm gonna get some coffee to go with this. Can I get you some?"

"Sure. That'd be great, actually."

Spencer walked over to the cabinet, found two mugs and filled them with the rest of the coffee that her parents had left.

"I guess we'll have to sit in the living room." Spencer said. "Since the kitchen's still kind of a mess.

"Sorry about that. It's tough trying to do a remodel when people are using a particular room everyday."

"It's okay. I wasn't blaming you at all." Spencer said, handing a mug to Emily. "I think you're doing a fantastic job."

"Thank you...for the coffee and the compliment." Emily said as she sat down beside Spencer on the couch.

"You're welcome...so where's the rest of your crew?"

"They should be here soon, I hope anyway. They're always late."

"Is the coffee all right?" Spencer asked. "I can make a fresh pot..."

"No, this is perfect, thanks. And I can definitely see why these scones are your favorite. They're amazing."

"I can't believe you actually brought me breakfast. You're pretty much the sweetest, most thoughtful person I've ever met. This is really nice, having breakfast with you sure beats having breakfast in the school cafeteria."

"It is, nice isn't it? This is much better than sitting alone in my apartment eating corn flakes, while I read the back of the cereal box for the millionth time."

Spencer just smiled softly at Emily and stared into her eyes. Spencer inadvertently moved closer to Emily on the couch. Spencer desperately tried to work up enough courage to kiss Emily, though she couldn't be sure how Emily would respond. Spencer swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Just as Spencer leaned forward, Emily's crew noisily burst through the door.

"Wow, they're actually on time for once." Emily looked down at her watch.

"Great." Spencer grumbled, under her breath; angry that the moment was now ruined. "I guess I should get to school." Spencer sighed.

"And I should probably start working. Can I at least rinse out my coffee mug?"

"Don't worry about it. You can just put it in the sink. I'll get it later." Spencer said, picking up her book bag. "Thank you for breakfast."

"You're very welcome. I guess I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye." Spencer gave Emily a small smile before heading out the door.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon.

It was late afternoon on Wednesday when Emily decided to take a short break from work. After letting her crew know that she was leaving, Emily got into her truck and drove across town to Rosewood high school to watch some of Spencer's hockey game. Emily parked her truck and walked around to the field in back of the school. When Emily arrived the game was already into the second half and the score was tied. Emily looked out across the grass and spotted Spencer, who was running hard down the field while still maintaining good control of the ball. When she was close enough to the net, Spencer pulled her stick back and swung at the ball; making strong, solid contact, Spencer was able to sneak the ball past the goalie and into the net. Emily stayed for the remainder of the game, to watch Spencer score another goal, helping Rosewood to secure a win. Although Spencer always dedicated one hundred percent of her energy into her games and she was happy about winning, it still disappointed her that her family never showed up to watch. Spencer wiped the sweat from her forehead and slowly walked over to the bench to retrieve her water bottle.

"Hey Spencer." Emily said, approaching the bench. "Nice game."

Spencer's head snapped up when she heard Emily's voice.

"Emily?" Spencer smiled, obviously thrilled to see the architect. "What are you doing here?"

"I took a break from work to come see you play. Since your dad couldn't make it I figured you should have at least one fan here to support you."

"You're amazing. Thanks for coming." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around Emily.

"No problem." Emily said, returning the embrace. "Besides, I wanted to make sure that you're still following the advice I gave you."

"Of course I am. It's working like a charm. I didn't even see you during the game. How long have you been here?"

"I saw most of the second half and I'm not surprised you didn't notice me, you were way too busy tearing up the field. I just wish I could have seen the whole game."

"Emily, you even showing up at all is amazing. It really means a lot to me. Thank you."

"No problem. I should really be getting back to work. Congratulations on your win, though. Maybe I can even make it to your next game."

"That would be great."

* * *

Later that evening, Emily had been sitting at her desk doing some drafting on her computer when she heard a knock at the door. Emily leaned back in her chair and stretched before getting up to answer the door. When Emily opened the door, she unexpectedly found her mother standing on the other side.

"Mom? Hi." Emily leaned in and hugged the tan-skinned woman standing on her door step.

"Hi honey. How are you?"

"I'm fine." Emily said, surprised, yet happy to see her mother. "How are you?"

"Great." Pam kissed Emily on the cheek, before stepping back to get a better look at her daughter. "And look at you…I can't believe how gorgeous you are. I'm absolutely certain that you get more beautiful every time I see you."

"Thanks mom." Emily smiled. "Come inside."

"So…why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Emily asked as she and Pam both walked into the living room of Emily's apartment. "I could have picked you up at the airport."

"I'm sorry for just dropping in like this, but I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, I'm definitely surprised all right. It's so great to see you. How's dad doing?"

"He's fine. He's just sorry he couldn't make it up to see you this time."

"It's okay. I know he's really busy with work."

"Speaking of work, you must be keeping yourself busy. It doesn't look like you've had much time to clean your apartment."

"No, I haven't." Emily laughed. "The remodel I'm working on has been taking up most of my time, but the money's great, so I can't really complain too much."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, if we can just fix your romantic situation, you'll be all set."

"Mom…I've told you before, I'm not really looking for a girlfriend right now."

"I know, but I just don't understand. You're beautiful, smart, you have a good job. There must be a thousand girls in this town who would kill to date you."

"Believe it or not, every woman isn't attracted to me, besides, I'm fine with being single. I'm too busy for a girlfriend anyway…so can we talk about something else?"

"All right, all right. Have you eaten dinner yet? I can cook something."

"I don't really have any food here, but I'd be happy to take you out to dinner."

"That sounds wonderful. Let's go."

* * *

The next afternoon, Emily was working outside of the Hastings house, planting some small shrubbery near the barn. It was unusually warm for a September afternoon and Emily's t shirt was now drenched in sweat and clinging tightly to chest and midsection. Emily reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. She then took off the gloves she was wearing and pulled her wet, sticky t shirt up over her head to reveal the white tank top that she had on underneath. Emily dropped the t shirt to the ground next to her, put her gloves back on and continued working. A few minutes later, Emily heard someone call her name, she turned around to see her mother walking across the Hastings' yard with a brown paper bag in her hand.

"Mom, what are doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you had something for lunch." Pam said, handing Emily the bag in her hand. "I don't want you eating greasy fast food all the time."

"Thanks, mom." Emily said as she stood up. "But how'd you know this is where I was working?"

"Last night at dinner you mentioned that you were working at a house in Bridgewater Terrace, so I found the neighborhood and drove around until I saw your truck."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"Why don't you give me that shirt?" Pam said, pointing to Emily's t shirt that was lying on the ground. "I'll throw it in the wash with some of your other laundry when I get back to your apartment."

"Mom, you really don't have to do that. I'm twenty three now, I can handle doing my own laundry. I do it all the time."

"Honey, you're busy. While you're working, I don't mind doing things for you. Oh and make sure you come straight home after work. I went grocery shopping and I'm going to make you a nice dinner."

"Thanks, mom. I'll probably be home around seven." Emily said as she bent down and picked her t shirt up off of the ground.

"I see you still have that tattoo." Pam said, looking at the large cross on Emily's shoulder when she bent down.

"Well, yeah. It doesn't just wash off." Emily laughed as she stood up and handed the shirt to her mother.

"You didn't get any more, did you?"

"No. This is the only one."

"Good. Make sure you keep it that way."

"Oh come on, mom. You know you like my tattoo." Emily smirked. "Admit it."

"I'm not crazy about tattoos, but if you had to get one, I'm at least glad it's a religious symbol. You are still going to church aren't you?"

"Of course I am. Every Sunday."

"Okay. Just checking."

A few moments later, Spencer walked into the yard, as she was returning home from school.

"Hi, Spencer." Emily said. "This is my mom, she's in town visiting me for a few days."

"Mom, this is Spencer Hastings. I'm working on this project for her family."

"Pam Fields." Pam said, extending her hand to Spencer. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Spencer shook Pam's hand. "You know, Emily's really good at what she does. My family has been really impressed with her work so far."

"I'm happy to hear that. Have you two known each other for very long?"

"Not really." Emily said. "We just met recently, when I started working here."

"I definitely feel like I've known Emily for a lot longer, though. She's really sweet."

"Yes, she is and cute too, isn't she?" Pam smiled patting Emily's cheek.

"Mom, stop." Emily rolled her eyes.

"She's single, you know." Pam smiled, looking at Spencer.

"I know, but I don't really understand why. Emily's a total catch." Spencer said.

"That's what I keep telling her." Pam said. "But she doesn't listen. Spencer, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm eighteen."

"Mom, please don't..." Emily mumbled.

"Eighteen? Hhmm, you're a bit on the young side for Emily…"

"Okay, mom…" Emily said as a dark shade of red crept over her face. "Thanks for lunch. But, I really do need to get back to work. I'll see you later."

"All right, honey. I've got a lot of cleaning to do anyway. Especially, since you seem to think that your bedroom floor doubles as a laundry basket."

Pam and Spencer both laughed.

"Now, do you have anything hidden at your apartment that you want to confess to before I start cleaning? Any dirty magazines, movies…"

"God." Emily's skin turned an even deeper shade of red. "No, mom. I don't have anything like that, I swear."

"Good. I'll see you after work, then. I love you." Pam kissed Emily on the forehead and turned to look at Spencer. "It was nice meeting you, Spencer."

"You too."

Pam balled up Emily's t shirt in her hand and turned to leave. Once she had walked out of the yard, Spencer turned to Emily.

"If you need to run home and get rid of anything, before your mom finds it, I promise not to tell." Spencer laughed.

"She could turn my whole apartment inside out and she still wouldn't find anything…listen Spencer, I'm really sorry about my mom putting you on the spot. She thinks that every girl should be attracted to me, even straight ones."

"I think your mom's totally adorable."

"You do?"

"Sure. She's obviously proud of you. It's super cute."

"Well…I uh, really should get back to planting these shrubs. It looks like it might rain."

"Okay. I've got a lot of homework, anyway. But, I'll be in the living room. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks, Spencer."

 


	10. Chapter 10

Later that evening when Emily walked into her apartment, she found her mother in the kitchen working on preparing dinner.

"Hi, honey. How was the rest of your day at work?"

"It was all right. I got a lot done. What are you making? It smells amazing."

"Pot roast. I really hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving."

"Great. Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Okay. I'm gonna go take a shower then."

"Why don't you take this off." Pam said, tugging at Emily's tank top. "I'll throw it in the wash with your other whites."

"Okay." Emily then pulled her tank top up over her head and handed it to her mother.

"Go ahead and take your shower, I just put some clean towels out in the bathroom."

"Thanks, mom."

* * *

When Emily got out of the shower, she walked into her bedroom and got dressed.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Emily asked, walking back into the kitchen.

"You could set the table for me."

"Okay."

Emily gathered some silverware and two plates from the cabinet. She then went into the dining room and set both of the plates and silverware out on the table. A few minutes later Pam walked into the dining room and set the food out on the table.

"Everything looks and smells great mom, thanks for cooking."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Pam said as she placed a large piece of meat on to Emily's plate.  
"I'm really glad you came to visit. I miss you and dad a lot."

"We miss you too." Pam said, sitting down at the table across from Emily. "You know, you can always come back to Texas with me. Your father and I would love to have you move back home."

"Every time I talk to you, you try to get me to come back to Texas." Emily smiled. "As much as I really do miss you guys, I like living here."

"Don't you ever get lonely living here all alone?"

"Sometimes, but I usually keep myself pretty busy."

"So…"

"So…what?" Emily asked, looking up at her mother.

"Is is just me or did I sense a little something between you and Spencer today?"

"I thought you said she was too young for me." Emily said, lifting a forkful of mashed potatoes to her mouth.

"I'd prefer for you to see someone a little older, but I can work with eighteen. Why don't you take Spencer out on a date? She's seems sweet and she seems to like you."

"She likes me as a friend, but that's it. Spencer's straight and even if she was gay, she'd never be interested in me anyway."

"What would make you think that?"

"Girls like her don't go for people like me. She's young, she'll be going to college next year and I'm already out of school with a full-time job. She'd never go for a blue-collar working stiff like me. Besides, she's a client's daughter, it's a conflict of interest. By the way, please don't ever hit on any girls for me again."

"I'm sorry, Emily, I just can't help showing off my sweet, single and very eligible daughter. Any girl in this town would be lucky to go out on your arm."

"I appreciate that you love me so much and you like showing me off, but it's embarrassing having my mom try to hook me up; especially with straight girls…I know that you think every girl on the planet should fall hopelessly in love with me at first sight, but that's just not how it works."

* * *

Later that night, Emily was in her bedroom, looking for something to wear to bed. She opened her top dresser drawer to look for a pair of pajama pants.

"Hey, mom?" Emily called out. "Have you seen my black pajama pants? The ones with the Texas Tech logo on them."

"Here they are." Pam said walking into the bedroom with a laundry basket in her hands. "I washed them."

"Thanks."

"Put the rest of these clothes away for me, okay?"

"All right."

Emily picked up a few pairs of socks out of the laundry basket and opened the top drawer of her dresser.

"Mom, what happened to the photo I had here in this drawer?"

"Which photo?"

"You know exactly which photo I mean. There was a photo of Stephanie in here. It was in the top drawer of my dresser, under my socks. What did you do with it?"

"Oh that one." Pam sighed. "I moved it when I was putting away some of your laundry earlier this afternoon.

"Well, where did you put it?"

"I put it in the bottom drawer of your nightstand, but I should have just thrown it away. You need to get over her, Emily."

"I know and I'm trying, but it's not that easy, mom. Stephanie and I were together for over three years, she wasn't just a girlfriend, she was my fiancée. I know you never liked her, but can you please try to understand that it still hurts?"

"I liked the girl just fine, until she cheated on you and got herself pregnant."

Emily's mind then began to wander off. She thought about nearly two years prior, sitting in the hospital with her girlfriend.

_"Is she going to be all right?" Emily stood up and looked at the attending physician, a light-haired middle-aged man, who had been taking care of Emily's girlfriend in the emergency room._

_"Your girlfriend will be fine."_

_"Why is she so sick then?"_

_"What's wrong with me?" Stephanie, a nineteen year old, petite blonde asked as she sat up in bed._

_The doctor then walked over to the bed and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder._

_"Stephanie…the reason you've been feeling so sick lately is because you're pregnant."_

_Stephanie's expression went completely blank and she averted her eyes from both Emily and the doctor._

_"She can't be pregnant...check your test again." Emily said. "It has to be wrong..."_

_"I did run the test twice to be sure. It came out positive both times and it's quite clear on the abdominal ultrasound. It looks like she's just about two months along."_

_"But that's not possible." Emily said. "The only way would be…" Emily turned around and looked at her girlfriend. "Steph..."_

_"You two obviously have a lot to talk about." The doctor said. "I'll give you some privacy. Take all the time you need."_

_When the doctor had left the room, Emily walked over to the bed and sat down next to her girlfriend._

_"Stephanie. Is there something you want to tell me?" Emily asked._

_"Emily, I'm so sorry…" The blonde said, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "I never meant for this to happen."_

_"Who's the father?" Emily closed her eyes, still trying to process everything that was happening._

_"My ex boyfriend…remember that weekend you went out of town to visit your grandparents? Well…I was bored and decided to hang out with some friends, but I was stupid and had way too much to drink, I ran into my ex, one thing led to another and the next thing I knew I woke up next to him in the morning with an awful hangover…I'm sorry…I made a huge mistake…I wanted to tell you…but I didn't want to hurt you…I wish I could just take it all back. I love you, I don't why I did what I did…God, I don't know what I'm gonna do…I can't raise a baby on my own…"_

_"You don't have to." Emily said, taking her girlfriend's hand. "I want you to keep the baby. You'll be okay. I'll help you through this."_

_"You'll stay with me?"_

_"I still love you, Stephanie. And it's definitely going to take a lot to get our relationship back on track, but I'm willing to work on our relationship. I promise, I won't leave you. I'll take care of you. We can get married and I'll adopt the baby, we'll raise it together."_

_"I love you so much, Emily." Stephanie wrapped her arms around Emily and cried into her shoulder. "You're the most amazing person in this entire world. I don't deserve someone as perfect as you are…"_

_"Sshh…" Emily gently rubbed her girlfriend's back. "We'll talk about this later."_

_It had been a few weeks since discovering her girlfriend's pregnancy before Emily had worked up enough courage to tell her parents._

_"Absolutely not, Emily." Pam said, sternly. "There's no way I'll let you take responsibility for her mistake. You didn't make that baby, it isn't your problem to worry about."_

_"Mom, Stephanie and I are going to get married as soon as I finish school."_

_"Say something, Wayne." Pam, elbowed her husband in the ribs._

_"Emily, are you sure, this is what you want?" Her father asked. "A baby is lifelong commitment and you have so much going on right now..."_

_"I know dad…but I still love Stephanie. I've forgiven her and I want to be there to support her. "_

_"This girl was unfaithful to you…" Pam said. "How can you be so forgiving?"_

_"I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. She made one mistake, I won't throw away our whole relationship because Stephanie made one bad decision. She's scared and she needs me. I'm almost finished with school, I'll get a job and I'll be able to take care of her. We'll be fine."_

_"When you told me that you were gay, I thought that an unplanned pregnancy was at least the one thing that I wouldn't have to worry about…"_

_"Mom, I would have eventually proposed to Stephanie anyway, you're just getting your first grandchild a little sooner than expected. But the fact of the matter is that it's my life and I'm choosing to stick by Stephanie. I just hope that you'll choose to love and accept this baby, just like I plan to."_

Emily was then brought back to the present by the sound of her mother's voice.

"I really don't understand why you're still hung up on this girl. You were there for her throughout her entire pregnancy and when the baby was born, you treated him as if he were your own, as did your father and I, only to have Stephanie take off with the baby two weeks before you were supposed to be married. Do you believe that if she hadn't ended up pregnant, she would have ever admitted to cheating on you at all?"

"I really don't know, I've asked myself that question a million times…maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't have, maybe we'd still be together right now. I have no idea, but I was in love with her...listen mom, I really don't want to have this argument right now, okay? I just want to go to bed, I have to be up early tomorrow for work."

"Emily, I'm sorry." Pam said, placing her hand on her daughter's cheek. "I just don't want to see one woman ruin you…I know you've been through a lot and I'm sorry for pushing you so hard, all I want is for you to settle down with a nice girl who actually appreciates how wonderful you are."

"I know, but I'm still young. I've got plenty of time to find someone and I know that I will. You don't have to worry so much about me, I'll be fine."

"Emily, I'm your mother and even though you're an adult, I'll always worry about you. It's my job."

Emily smiled and leaned in to hug her mother.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

* * *

Spencer slowly rolled over in her own bed and opened her eyes, to find that Emily was lying next to her and they were both completely naked.

"Morning." Emily said, moving closer to Spencer and wrapping her arms around the brunette. "Last night was amazing, wasn't it?"

"It was great." Spencer smiled. "You were great."

"Your parents aren't home, what do you say we give it another go?"

Emily then rolled over on top of Spencer and leaned down to kiss the brunette.

"That sounds amazing." Spencer smirked and placed her hand behind Emily's head, pulling the darker-haired girl down on top on her.

Emily gently began kissing Spencer's neck and chest.

"Emily." Spencer moaned as she felt the architect's hands travel all over her naked body.

Emily's lips made contact with Spencer's again. Spencer closed her eyes and writhed on the bed as she felt Emily's hand come to rest over her center. A moment later, Spencer's eyes snapped open and she looked over at her phone on the night stand, which was ringing. Upon waking up, Spencer realized that she was covered in sweat, with her hand in between her legs. Spencer tentatively slipped two of her fingers into her own body and groaned when she felt herself wet. Spencer then heard her phone begin ringing again, fighting the strong urge to masturbate, Spencer rolled over and picked up the phone from her nightstand to see that Hanna was calling her. Annoyed, Spencer pressed the ignore button and practically slammed the phone back down on the night stand.

"Fuck." Spencer groaned as she pulled her blanket up over her head, though she knew that she needed to get up as she had already slept in later than usual for a school day.

After a few moments of lying underneath her blanket, replaying her dream in her head, Spencer hesitantly threw her blanket off of her body and got out of bed. She opened her door and slowly trudged off down the hallway to the bathroom.

* * *

That afternoon at school, Spencer had been sitting at a table with Aria and Hanna in the school's court yard at lunch time.

"So…where's Alison?" Hanna asked.

"I'm not sure." Aria said. "I haven't seen her all morning."

At this point, Spencer was too busy daydreaming about Emily to contribute much to the conversation this afternoon.

"Spence? Is everything okay?" Aria asked. "You're pretty quiet today."

"I'm fine…"

"Is something bugging you?" Hanna asked. "You didn't answer your phone this morning and you haven't really been yourself lately."

"I…uh…just have a lot on my mind."

"Well do you wanna talk about it?" Aria asked.

"Can I ask you guys kind of a weird question?" Spencer said.

"What is it?" Aria asked.

"You guys have to promise not to make fun of me, okay?"

"You know we won't." Aria said. "What's the question?"

"Well…have either of you ever thought about what it would be like to be with another girl?"

"You mean like sex?" Hanna asked.

"Not necessarily, I just mean in general...like dating and stuff."

"I might kiss a girl, just for fun." Hanna said. "But I don't think I could ever date another girl…way too many emotions."

"Spence, something tells me this isn't just a hypothetical question." Aria said, placing her hand on top of Spencer's. "Are you trying to tell us something? Do you think you might be gay?"

"I'm not sure…I mean…I've been questioning for a long time…I'm a little confused, I guess."

"Spence, you know it's okay if you like girls. We'd never have a problem with you being gay or bisexual or whatever." Hanna said. "It doesn't matter to us who you're attracted to."

"Yeah." Aria agreed. "All we care about is that you're with someone who treats you well. You didn't have to wait so long to tell us."

"Thanks guys, I'm just not really sure what I am right now…I mean I know I'm attracted to some girls, but I still look at guys sometimes…"

"That's okay." Aria said. "No one's making you label yourself. There's nothing wrong with experimenting a little bit before picking a side."

"She's right. And now you've got twice as many people to hook up with."

"Thanks, Han." Spencer laughed. "Can you guys do me a favor and not tell Alison about this?" Spencer asked. "I know she'll make fun of me and I'm really not in the mood to deal with her crap right now."

"No problem, Spence." Aria said.

"I won't say a word." Hanna nodded. "So…let's get down to business here…is there someone in particular you like?"

"I don't know…" Spencer blushed.

"Look at her blush. Aw, Spence, you do like someone, don't you?" Hanna chuckled.

"Well…there is this one girl…"

"Who is it?" Hanna asked. "Is it that cute blonde on your hockey team because you could totally hit that…"

"No…Han. It's not her."

"Does she go to school here?" Aria asked.

"She's not in high school."

"Now, I'm really curious." Aria said. "Did you have class together at U Penn over the summer or something?"

"You have a thing for a college girl, huh?" Hanna smiled. "I'm not surprised."

"No, she's not in college either. She's the architect that's working on the remodel of my house."

"She's not like old, is she?" Hanna asked.

"Not at all, she's only twenty three."

"Oh, okay. Good."

"What's she like?" Aria asked.

"Well her name's Emily and she's gorgeous. She's got long, black hair and these beautiful dark brown eyes that are so easy to get lost in…and she has like the most incredible body too. Every day she wears these really tight t shirts to work and you can totally see every single ridiculously hard muscle, but she's not just hot. Emily's literally like the sweetest, most genuine person I've ever met in my entire life. She goes to church every Sunday and she's great with kids…she even drives a Prius because she cares about the environment. She's just perfect."

"Aw, Spence." Hanna said. "You really like her, don't you?"

"I do…I can't help it. I love talking to her too, she actually listens to me and seems to care about what I have to say. Ever since I met her, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her…and I keep having these dreams…"

"Sex dreams?" Hanna smirked.

"Yeah." Spencer blushed. "It's not like I mean for it to happen, I just can't control it and it's driving me totally crazy. God…now you guys probably think I'm a total perv."

"We don't think that, Spence. Apparently, she's hot and you're horny. No big deal."

"So…do you know if she's gay?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, I know she is."

"Great, that's one obstacle out of your way." Aria said. "Why don't you ask her out?"

"I really want to and I've been trying to flirt with her…like a lot."

"Does she flirt back?" Hanna asked.

"She seems to, a little bit at least, but I don't know if I'm just mistaking her being nice for flirting…"

"Are you sure she's single?" Hanna asked.

"Positive. Her friends keep trying to hook her up with people and she's said that she's not looking for a girlfriend and the more I think about it, the more I realize that don't want to be the one to make the first move and get shot down…but I guess it doesn't really even matter, it's not like she'd ever date a high school kid anyway…"

"You never know, Spence." Aria said. "Just give it time, get to know each other."

The girls were then interrupted by the sound of bell, signaling that their lunch period was over.

"Crap…we should get to class." Aria said, standing up. "Come on, Han."

"We can talk more, later." Hanna said. "And I totally wanna meet this hottie you're crushing on, by the way."

Spencer smiled.

"Thanks for being cool, guys." Spencer said, gathering her belongings from the table. "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Spence." Hanna and Aria both said as they began walking off in the opposite direction from Spencer.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

Early on Saturday morning, Emily rolled over on her couch and stretched out her muscles. Emily spent the next few minutes, lying on her back. She inhaled the scent of breakfast, coming from the kitchen. Emily certainly didn't mind having her mother cook for her these past few days. Once Emily felt somewhat awake, she swung her legs over the side of the couch and stood up. She ran a hand through her hair and slowly walked toward the kitchen, where her mother was standing over the stove.

"Morning, sweetheart." Pam said

"Morning." Emily yawned.

"Are you working today, honey?"

"Yeah, I have to get going here pretty soon. I've got kind of a busy day ahead of me. I'm going to be installing kitchen counter tops pretty much all day."

"Then you'll need to have a good breakfast before you leave. You have time to eat, right? I'm making blueberry pancakes."

"There's always time for pancakes." Emily chuckled. "But, I'm gonna go get ready for work, first."

* * *

Spencer had been sitting in her living room with her laptop that morning when Emily walked in the door.

"Good morning." Emily said, walking by the couch, where Spencer was sitting.

"Morning." Spencer smiled as Emily walked over to her crew, who were in the kitchen.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm a little late."

"No problem, Em." Chris said.

"I guess we should get started, can one of you guys help me carry in the new counter tops from my truck?"

"We'll go get them." Ben said, motioning to himself and Mike, who was standing beside him.

"Thanks, guys. Please be careful with them. It's imported Italian marble."

"You got it, boss." Mike said before he and Ben disappeared out the door.

"Chris, can you do me a flavor and get the door for those two?" Emily said, buckling her tool belt around her waist. "I'm gonna start on the island here."

"Sure, Em."

"Thanks."

Emily then pulled a utility knife out of her pocket and began cutting through the seal that anchored the countertops to the wood underneath. After a few minutes, Ben and Mike returned and set the new countertops down on floor. Spencer sat on the couch, peering over her computer screen at Emily, only pretending to type, if Emily happened to look up. Emily continued to work her knife around the edges of the kitchen island; when she eventually reached the other side, Emily flipped the knife shut. As Emily was about to slip the knife back into her pocket, she accidentally dropped it onto the kitchen floor. Spencer's eyes slowly sunk down to Emily's backside as the architect bent over to retrieve the knife. Spencer wondered if Emily had any idea as to how good her butt looked in her worn out dark-wash jeans.

"Here, Em." Chris said. "You lift up on that side and I'll get this side. I think we can probably get this old counter off without having to use the floor jack."

Spencer silently watched from across the room as Emily and Chris lifted the old counter up and off of the cabinets.

"Where are we putting this?" Chris asked.

"Let's just turn it on its side and lean it against the back side of the island here, where it'll be out of the way. We can get rid of it later."

Emily and Chris both walked the old countertop over to the other side of the island and carefully set it down on the floor. Spencer was very much impressed by Emily's strength, as the architect didn't even break a sweat when lifting the heavy granite counter top.

"Did the factory cut the new counter tops to size or do we need to do it?" Ben asked.

"I gave the manufacturer the exact dimensions, so I'll probably only need to do some minor sanding."  
"Cool." Mike said. "Em, do you think we could maybe finish up a little early today? I have a date tonight and I was hoping to have enough time to get home and take a shower before I go out."

"Sure. Installing these counters is really all I have planned for today. As long as everything goes smoothly, I really doubt it'll take us the whole day. But, even if it does, I can always finish up on my own. You guys have been working really hard lately, I guess I could let you cut out early once."

"Thanks, Em. You're a totally awesome boss." Mike said.

"I do what I can." Emily smiled.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Emily's crew decided to take a lunch break, though Emily had opted to stay behind and remove the kitchen sink to prepare to replace the counter and install the new sink. Emily opened the cabinet doors underneath the sink and knelt down. She pulled a wrench from her tool belt and began to disconnect the water line from the faucet, only to be unexpectedly sprayed by a stream of water from the pipe.

"Son of a b…" Emily groaned as she reached for the shut off valve, next to the pipe.

"Damn it." Emily backed out of the space underneath the sink and wiped the excess water from her now soaked t shirt.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." Emily stood up. "I told one of my guys to shut off the water, but apparently he forgot. I guess it's my fault for not checking..."

"Hold on a second. I'll go grab you a towel."

When Spencer returned to the kitchen, she handed Emily a white, fluffy towel.

"Thank you." Emily said as she took the towel from Spencer and patted her face dry.

"You're welcome."

Although Spencer felt sorry for Emily at the moment, she couldn't help but love the way the architect's t shirt now clung even more tightly to her body.

"Your shirt's totally soaked. If you want, I could throw it in the dryer for you."

"That would be great. Thanks, Spencer."

Emily reached down, grasped her shirt from the bottom and pulled it up over her head.

"No problem." Spencer did her best to conceal a smirk as she watched Emily take her shirt off in the middle of the kitchen.

Spencer's eyes quickly darted from Emily's black sports bra, down her stomach as she reached out and took the shirt from the raven-haired girl in front of her.

"I'll uh...go throw this in the dryer. I'll be right back."

Spencer turned and walked out of the kitchen and into the laundry room. She tossed Emily's t shirt into the dryer along with a fabric softener sheet and turned the machine on the lowest setting possible, ensuring that she would be able to maximize her time allowance to enjoy a shirtless Emily. When Spencer returned to the kitchen, she found Emily lying on her back underneath the sink, as she continued to take apart the sink. Spencer walked over to the sink and gently kicked the bottom of Emily's boot with the toe of her sneaker.

"What's up?" Emily asked as she disconnected the garbage disposal.

"Are you hungry? I can make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or something." Spencer said.

"I'm fine. I don't want you to go to any trouble for me."

"It's no trouble at all. I'm making one for myself anyway. So can I make you one too? And just say yes, you know you want one."

Emily pulled her head out from under the sink and sat up to look at Spencer.

"If you're making one anyway, then sure. Thanks a lot."

"Okay. It'll be just a minute then."

Spencer opened the refrigerator and pulled out a jar of grape jelly. She then went over to the cabinets, which all remained somewhat empty due to the remodel, but she was able to find a jar of peanut butter. As she began to make the sandwiches, Spencer looked over at Emily who was now bent over the sink, removing the faucet. Spencer's eyes wandered from Emily's toned shoulder muscles all the way down to the small of her back. When Emily finished with the sink, she turned around to look at Spencer. Spencer quickly averted her eyes, only looking up when Emily spoke to her.

"Is it okay if I use your bathroom to wash my hands?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. I'll be back in a second."

As Emily walked out of the room, Spencer went back to making the sandwiches. When Emily returned, she unbuckled her tool belt from around her waist and set it down on the counter near the sink.

"Come into the living room." Spencer said.

"Okay."

Emily followed Spencer into the living room and sat down next to her on the couch. Spencer set down the plate she was holding on the coffee table and picked up one of the sandwiches.

"These are for you." Spencer said, handing Emily the plate with two remaining sandwiches. Spencer also handed Emily a glass of milk.

"Thanks. You know Spencer, I really appreciate you being so nice to me and my crew. I know it can be pretty annoying having us practically take over your house."

"You guys haven't been annoying at all. You're just trying to do your job."

Emily set her glass of milk down on the coffee table and took a bite of her sandwich. Emily rolled her head from side to side and used one of her hands to rub her right shoulder, just below her neck.

"You okay?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right. My muscles are just a little stiff."

"Working too hard?"

"I think it's from sleeping on the couch these last few days since my mom's been in town."

"How much longer is your mom staying with you?"

"She's leaving tomorrow evening. I actually wish she was staying a little longer though. My apartment's never been so clean and I haven't had to cook once. Breakfast is ready when I wake up and dinner's on the table when I get home from work."

"Wow. Who needs a wife when you have an awesome mom?"

"I know." Emily laughed. "I'm pretty lucky, huh? She keeps trying to get me to move back to Texas though, I think she just wants someone to take care of full time."

"Can you blame her? You're her only baby. I'm sure she just misses having you at home."

"I guess you're right." Emily smiled, picking up the glass of milk from the coffee table.

"Do you want anything else to eat or more milk or something?"

"I'm fine, thanks. This is plenty. Do you think my shirt's almost dry?"

"You're not shy are you?" Spencer smirked. "Because you really don't need to be."

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "I don't really have anything to be shy about, you and I have the same basic anatomy… I'm just freezing…"

"You finish eating, I'll go check the dryer."

Spencer then got up off of the couch and walked into the laundry room. She opened the dryer and pulled Emily's soft, warm t shirt out, before making her way back to the living room.

"Here you go." Spencer said, handing the shirt to Emily. "It's nice and warm."

"Thanks a lot." Emily stood up from the couch and took the shirt from Spencer.

Spencer couldn't help but smile when she felt Emily's hands accidentally brush against her own, during the exchange. Emily held Spencer's gaze for a few long moments before speaking again.

"I uh…should really get back to work." Emily took a step back and slipped her shirt on.

"Okay." Spencer smiled.

Spencer sighed softly as she watched Emily return to the kitchen, strap her tool belt back on and continue working. A moment later, Spencer heard the front door open. She turned around to see Alison walking in, letting herself in uninvited, as she usually did. Alison closed the door behind her and walked over to Spencer.

"Alison? What are you doing here?"

"I'm bored. We're hanging out."

"Well, what exactly did you have in mind. I'm kinda busy."

"Busy with what?"

"I've got a huge book report due next week that I'm trying to work on."

"God, you're so lame. No one does homework on a Saturday."

"I do. This class is tough as it is. I can't afford to fall behind."

"Take a break. Let's go to the mall or something."

"I should really stay and work, but you can hang out here if you want."

Spencer walked back over to the couch, picked up her laptop and sat down.

Alison rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch, next to Spencer. For the next hour, Alison noticed that Spencer seemed to be very distracted. No matter how secretive Spencer thought she was being, Alison had caught her friend sneaking glances at Emily at least a dozen different times.

"Are you actually planning on writing anything?" Alison asked. "We've been sitting here for over an hour and you've barely typed three sentences."

"I'm just having a little trouble focusing."

"Oh really? I'm guessing it probably has something to do with that big hunk of eye candy in the kitchen."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's pretty sexy, don't you think?"

"Who, Emily? I haven't really noticed." Spencer said, nonchalantly.

"You haven't noticed?" Alison rolled her eyes. "Give me a break. You've been practically drooling over her since I got here. Admit it, you want a piece of that action, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not gay."

"Neither am I, but I'd still hit that."

"You're ridiculous, Alison. Can I just get back to this homework now?"

"Sure, but…"

"But what?"

"If you're not interested, then I guess you won't mind if I go talk to her."

"Leave Emily alone, she's busy."

"You're not jealous are you?" Alison smirked.

"Of course not." Spencer answered quickly. "She just has stuff to do. Besides, you're not even interested in women…"

"A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone." Alison said, standing up and walking toward the kitchen.

When Alison approached Emily, she stepped in front of the architect and stared her in the eyes.

"Hi, I'm Alison." The blonde said, as flirtatiously as she possibly could.

"I'm Emily."

"So…are you a contractor?" Alison asked as she placed her hands on the counter that Emily was working on and lifted herself up, until she was sitting on top of a slab of brand new marble.

"I'm an architect, but I guess you could call me a contractor too…I like to do a lot of work myself."

"So you'd say you're a pretty hands on type of girl?" Alison asked, crossing one leg over the other and leaning forward.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"You know, I'm pretty hands on, myself and I definitely wouldn't mind getting my hands on those abs." Alison pointed to Emily's stomach. "What do you say you show me what you've got under here." Alison reached out and grasped Emily's t shirt.

"I…uh…" Emily stuttered.

"Don't be shy, sweetie. Let's see."

Emily reached down and lifted her own shirt upward, revealing her tight and very defined abdominal muscles.

Alison then placed her hand on Emily's stomach and gently ran her fingers over the architect's abdomen.

"Very nice." Alison smirked, glancing over Emily's shoulder at Spencer, who looked very angry.

Unable to stand any more of Alison's shameless flirting, Spencer slammed the lid of her laptop closed and got up off of the couch. She walked into the kitchen.

"Alison. I changed my mind, I think I actually could use a study break. Let's go to the mall." Spencer said, trying desperately to hide her anger.

"Great. Let's go."

"Maybe I could get you to help me down?" Alison said, staring Emily in the eyes.

"Uh, sure. No problem."

Alison wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and raised her eyebrows at Spencer as if to say, "I know you're jealous." And the truth was, Spencer ws very jealous. She wished that she had enough courage to be that forward with Emily.

Emily placed her hands on the blonde's hips, lifted her off of the counter and set her down on the floor.

"Thank you." Alison placed her index finger on Emily's chin.

"Don't mention it." Emily couldn't help but smirk, slightly. "Have fun at the mall. It was nice meeting you, Alison."

"You too." Alison grinned, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she and Spencer began walking toward the door.

 


	12. Chapter 12

"What do you think of this?" Alison asked; holding up a short, blue mini skirt.

Spencer glanced over and just shrugged her shoulders.

"So what, you're not gonna talk at all?"

"I'm just not really in a very chatty mood..." Spencer said as she went back to absently browsing through a rack of clothing.

"Why? Because I flirted with your architect?"

"I don't care who you flirt with."

"Yeah right. It's so obvious that you like her. Just admit it already."

"So what if I do like her?" Spencer said, defensively. "It doesn't affect you and you know damn well the only reason you even flirted with her at all today was to piss me off."

"I knew you wanted in her pants." Alison smirked.

"It isn't like that at all. I like Emily because she's really sweet and she actually listens to me and..."

"And looks great in a pair of tight jeans and a tool belt." Alison said, looking over at Spencer.

"I am physically attracted to her, but I already told you, that's not the only reason I like her."

"If you like her so much, just make a move already. Be bold. She seems like a total soft touch. Just tell her you think she's hot and you want a piece of that. She shouldn't be that hard to break, but you'll never get her to fuck you, if you don't tell her that you're interested."

"Who said I wanted to sleep with her?"

"Don't pretend like you don't want to."

"I'm not even thinking at all about sex, I'm just trying to get to know Emily a little bit better."

"Well, I can't think of a better way of getting to know her than taking your clothes off and letting her lick your..."

"Stop. Alison." Spencer quickly cut off her friend.

"What? I'm just giving you my take on things."

"When I want your opinion, I'll ask you for it. I like how things are going between Emily and I right now. I don't need anyone telling me what to do."

"I'm just saying, I got farther with her in ten seconds than you've apparently gotten this far."

"And I'm just saying, I'm not you. I have my own way of doing things. I don't need your help."

"Fine. Don't take my advice, but at the rate you're going, you'll be a virgin forever."

"You can make fun of me for being a virgin all you want. It doesn't bother me. It's not a bad thing, maybe I just have a lot more self control than you do. I won't jump into bed with anyone who will pay me a little bit of attention."

Spencer then turned and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Alison said, trailing behind Spencer. "You're my ride."

* * *

When Spencer returned home that evening she walked into the kitchen where she saw Emily polishing the brand new counter tops with a cloth.

"You're still here." Spencer said, smiling to herself.

"Oh, yeah...I was just finishing up." Emily turned around to face Spencer. "What do you think?"

Emily leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest.

"Absolutely gorgeous." Spencer said, staring at Emily. "The...uh...counters look totally amazing."

"Your parents really picked out a beautiful style of marble."

"You know, I was actually the deciding vote." Spencer said as she walked over to where Emily was standing.

"Oh, well...you have excellent taste then. Black and white marble is always very classy and sophisticated. It definitely seems like your style. This is actually one of my favorites, but hardly any of my clients ever pick it because it's so expensive."

"Leave it to my dad to pick out the most expensive thing..."

"I've kind of gotten the impression that your dad is the type of person would never settle for anything less than perfection."

"You got that right." Spencer laughed.

"In that case, I better get this mess cleaned up before he gets home. I had to do some sanding, clearly it got a little bit messy." Emily said, referencing the dust that accumulated on the floor. "Do you have a broom I could borrow for a minute?"

"Sure, hold on a second." Spencer said, walking out of the room.

A minute later, Spencer returned with a broom and handed it to Emily.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Oh no, I'm good. But thanks for offering."

"So...how was the mall?" Emily asked as she began to sweep up the dust on the floor near the kitchen island.

"Pretty uneventful. I didn't buy a single thing." Spencer leaned against the counter.

"Sounds a lot like when I go to the mall..." Emily laughed. "Where's your friend?"

"She went home."

"She lives across the street, right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"I thought I saw her outside of that green house across the street a couple of times last week. She certainly isn't shy, is she?"

"You'd never possibly be into someone like that, would you? Someone who would so obviously exploit your body that way...that can't seriously be what you like."

"I mean I think it's really sexy when a girl's confident and everything and isn't afraid to approach me…"

"I get that, but I feel like you shouldn't let anyone objectify you like Alison obviously did. She's annoying. You've got a lot more going for you than just a nice body."

Emily smiled to herself at Spencer's compliment.

"Thank you, but I'd never try to hook up with one of your friends, if that's what you're getting at...it'd be awkward, besides Alison's definitely not my type anyway."

"Well...what kind of girl is your type, I mean, like theoretically, if you were looking to date someone."

"I'm actually not that hard to please in a relationship, I really just like a nice, down-to-Earth girl who's smart and independent, but isn't afraid to let me take care of her."

"You're a total romantic. I had a feeling you were a lot more than just a player."

"It really just depends on the girl I'm with." Emily handed the broom back to Spencer. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Spencer took the broom from Emily and placed it over near the refrigerator.

Spencer walked around to the other side of the island. As she walked back over to Emily; Spencer failed to notice Emily's toolbox sitting on the ground, near the island. Spencer tripped over the corner of the toolbox and stumbled forward. Spencer's hands, slid up Emily's chest as Emily planted her hands on the brunette's waist to steady her. Being this close to Emily, Spencer was able to take in the scent of the dryer sheet that still lingered on the architect's t shirt. Neither Spencer nor Emily immediately moved, but rather spent a few long moments in close proximity to one another.

"I'm sorry." Spencer said, finally finding her voice again. She looked up at Emily, her arms still draped over the architect's shoulders.

"You okay?" Emily stared down into Spencer's eyes, her hands never leaving the brunette's hips.

"I'm okay. I think I twisted my ankle a little though."

"Can you walk on it?"

Spencer tentatively let go of Emily and put some pressure on her left ankle before taking a few small steps.

"Does it hurt at all?"

"A little bit."  
"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have left my stuff lying around."

"It's okay. I should have been paying attention to where I was walking. I'm fine."

"At least let me help you to the couch." Emily said, noticing Spencer leaning on the counter for support. "Here, just put your arms around my neck."

Spencer took a step closer to Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect's neck. Emily then placed one of her hands on Spencer's back, bent down, slipped her other arm underneath the brunette's knees and lifted her up off of the ground. Emily effortlessly carried Spencer into the living room and gently set her down onto the couch.

"Thank you." Spencer said, looking up at Emily.

"Do you want me to get you an ice pack or anything?"

"That's not necessary. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I feel bad…"

"Emily, it's okay, really." Spencer smiled, took Emily's hand and pulled her down into a sitting position on the couch. "It's not a big deal."

Emily smiled weakly at Spencer. Over the past few weeks, Emily had found herself growing very fond of the young brunette. She hadn't felt this emotionally attracted to someone since her ex-fiancée.

 _If you just kiss her, she'll know how you feel, you won't even have to say a word._  Emily thought to herself. _But she's straight…I've kissed straight girls before though…but what if she's not into me? I'll just make things weird between us. I'm going to be working here for a while, the last thing I want is to make things awkward. Then again, what if she is into me and she's waiting for me to make a move? Sometimes she seems like she might like me a little bit..._ Emily's mind was racing as she subconsciously leaned in closer to Spencer.

It was at that moment, that the front door opened and Peter stepped inside. Emily stood up and walked back into the kitchen.

"Hey, Spence." Peter said as he walked over to his daughter. "Emily, the kitchen looks incredible. You did a fantastic job."

"Thanks, Mister Hastings." Emily smiled. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to stop by at some point tomorrow to make sure the countertops set properly."

"Of course."

"Great. How does late morning or early afternoon work for you?"

"Whenever is good for you. Someone will be here to let you in." Peter said, as he loosened the tie around his neck.

"Perfect. I usually like to let new countertops set over night before giving them a final inspection."

"Keep up the good work, Emily." Peter extended his hand out to the architect.

"Will do, sir." Emily said as she shook Peter's hand. "Well, I should really get going. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good night."

"You too."

Emily picked up her tool box and began walking toward the door.

"Bye, Emily." Spencer said.

"See ya later." Emily gave the brunette a small smile before turning and heading out the door.

* * *

When Emily returned home that evening, her mother was in the kitchen, finishing up cooking dinner.

"Hi, mom." Emily said, walking into the kitchen.

"Hi, sweetheart. How was work?"

"It was fine. I got all my countertops installed."

"That's great. I bet they look fantastic."

"I think they look pretty nice, if I do say so myself."

"I'm so proud of you, Emily."

"Thanks, mom."

"I certainly hope you worked up an appetite because dinner's just about ready."

"Great, I'm starving. I'm just gonna go change my clothes. I'll be back in a minute." Emily turned and walked into her bedroom.

After a few minutes, Emily walked out of the bedroom and over to the table.

"Go ahead and sit down, honey."

Emily pulled out one of the chairs and sat down at the table. Pam then picked up a napkin from the table and spread it out over Emily's lap. Pam then walked back into the kitchen and a moment later, returned with two plates of food. She set one plate down in front of Emily and the other across the table. Pam sat down across from her daughter.

"You know, mom, it's been really nice having you here these last few days. Thank you for cooking and cleaning for me, it definitely wasn't necessary, but I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. You're my baby, I love taking care of you."

Emily smiled as she stabbed a small chunk of chicken with her fork and put it into her mouth.

"What time is your flight leaving tomorrow?"

"Not until four p.m. Are you planning on going to church tomorrow morning?"

"Of course. We can go together."

"Okay. Are there any cute girls that go to your church? There must be some nice girls who would love to date a successful, young architect."

Emily just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You'll never give up, will you?"

"You've known me for twenty three years, Emily. You should know by now that persistence is one of my strongest points."


	13. Chapter 13

A few days later.

It was late in the evening when Spencer's father returned home from work. Spencer was sitting in the kitchen doing some homework when Peter walked in the door.

"Hey, Spence." Peter set his keys down on the counter.

"Hi, dad."

"Working on some homework?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Good. Don't forget your mother and I are leaving for New York tomorrow morning. I'll make sure to leave you some extra cash to get you through the weekend."

"Okay. How long are you guys going to be gone?"

"We'll be back on Sunday. Are you going to be all right by yourself for a few days?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay. Your sister is coming with us, but Wren will be here if you need anything."

"Why is Melissa going with you? I thought this was a business trip."

"It is, but Melissa and your mother are taking some free time to shop for wedding dresses."

"Great." Spencer groaned, sarcastically.

* * *

Later the next evening, Spencer walked into the kitchen where Emily was finishing up installing a brand new stainless-steel dishwasher.

"Hey, Emily."

"Hey Spencer." Emily turned around. "How's it going?" She asked, slipping a screw driver back into her tool belt.

"Good, thanks. How about you?"

"Not bad. I just finished installing your new dishwasher."

"I'm sure you did an amazing job."

"I think I did a pretty good job. And check this out, all stainless-steel." Emily then opened the door to the dishwasher. "Adjustable racks, perfectly concealed control panel, you can even pause the wash cycle once it's been started to add something you forgot."

Spencer smiled.

"Do you always get this excited about household appliances?"

"Usually." Emily laughed. "I'm just really passionate about what I do."

"It shows. I think it's totally cool that you care so much about your work."

"I'm lucky to have a job that I love. Not a lot of people have that anymore...well I think I'm about done for the evening. I should be heading home."

"Do you have to go?" Spencer asked.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No...it's just that my parents are in New York and..."

"Are you afraid to be home alone?"

"Not afraid really, it's just boring without anyone to talk to and all my friends are busy with other stuff. You can only sit and do homework for so long…"

"Listen Spencer, if you're interested you're more than welcome to come hang out at my place."

"Really?"

"Sure. I could actually use some company myself. Even though my mom was only in town for a few days, I kinda got used to having someone at home with me."

"I'd love to come hang out with you."

"Cool. Just let me pack up my truck and we can go."

* * *

"You hungry?" Emily asked as she and Spencer walked into her apartment. "I can order a pizza, unless you feel like something else."

"Pizza sounds great."

"All right. Pizza it is then. What do you like on it?"

"I like what ever you like." Spencer smiled at Emily. "I'm pretty easy to please."

"I guess so. And here I thought rich girls were supposed to be such high maintenance."

"You're totally stereotyping me. I'm not like most girls."

"I'm finding that out." Emily shot Spencer a slight smile as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed the number to one of the local pizza shops.

When Emily got off the phone, she turned around to see Spencer loitering near the bookshelf.

"You are allowed to sit down, you know." Emily said.

"Oh right. Thanks." Spencer chuckled nervously as she sat down on the living room couch.

"So, what were we talking about?" Emily asked.

"Well...I believe you were about to apologize for unfairly labeling me as just another average rich girl." Spencer smirked.

"Yes, well...I hope you can forgive my complete ignorance. I guess I'm a little biased, I've dated a couple of privileged girls, shall we say...I just couldn't keep up with them."

"You're forgiven...can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well...I'm just wondering...how do you know if you're gay?"

"How does someone know if they're gay?" Emily said as she sat down on the couch, next to Spencer.

"Yeah."

"You're asking because?"

"Because I'm curious. I kinda don't exactly know which way I'm going and I want to know how I can be sure."

"Oh, well in that case, I'll give you the official 'are you gay?' quiz." Emily laughed, turning toward Spencer.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm just kidding." Emily laughed again.

"You're a jerk." Spencer reached over and punched Emily's left bicep, though she couldn't help but laugh. "I was trying to ask you a serious question."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"So...how do you know if you're gay?"

"How do you know if you're straight? Listen, Spence...I uh, mean Spencer, sorry."

"No, it's okay. You can call me Spence. All my friends do."

"Okay." Emily smiled softly at Spencer. "Anyway, unfortunately I can't really give you a straightforward answer to your question because there isn't one."

"Why does this have to be so confusing?"

"Sexuality can be a pretty confusing thing, believe me, I understand what you're going through. Am I the first person you've ever talked to about this?"

"I've told a few of my friends, but besides them you're the only other one who I've ever said anything to."

"How did your friends take it?"

"Very well. Aria and Hanna are my best friends in the whole world. They've been super supportive of me."

"I'm glad to hear it. I think a strong support system is the most important thing."

It made Emily happy that Spencer was able to confide in her and as much as Emily wanted to tell Spencer how she felt, she didn't want to risk complicating things. It wasn't long before Emily was pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door.

"That must be the pizza." Emily said, getting up off of the couch.

When Emily came back into the living room, she set the pizza box down on the coffee table.

"I'll get us something to drink. I'll be back in a second."

"So...can we watch a movie or something?" Spencer asked.

"We can..." Emily said, walking back into the living room. "But we'd have to watch in the bedroom, so we can use the DVD player that's built into the TV. The DVD player out here doesn't work and I haven't gotten around to buying a new one."

"I don't mind watching in the bedroom if you don't."

"Okay. Why don't you go head and pick out a movie then? I'll bring the pizza."

Once Spencer had settled on a movie, she headed into Emily's bedroom, where Emily was already sitting on the bed. Spencer inserted the disk into the built in slot on the side of the TV.

"You want the light off?" Spencer asked.

"It's up to you."

Spencer shut out the light and joined Emily on the middle of the bed.

* * *

Later that night, when the movie ended, Emily glanced over at Spencer. She noticed that the brunette had fallen asleep next to her. Emily got up off of the bed, picked up the pizza and took the left over food into the kitchen. Emily then went back into the bedroom and pulled the blanket on the bed up over Spencer's body, before shutting off the TV. Emily changed her clothes and headed back into the living room, where she'd spend the rest of the night on the couch.

* * *

Early the next morning, Spencer slowly opened her eyes, where she saw Emily standing in front of her dresser as she got dressed. Emily pulled her jeans up and buttoned them, before buckling her belt around her waist. Unbeknownst to Emily, Spencer watched as she pulled a t shirt out of her dresser drawer and slipped it over her head. When Emily turned around, Spencer rolled over on to her back and stretched as if she had just woken up.

"Good morning." Emily said, pulling her t shirt down over her stomach. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, thanks." Spencer sat up. "But, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep here...why didn't you wake me up last night?"

"I was going to wake you up and take you home, but you looked so comfortable. I didn't have the heart to wake you."

"Well, that was really sweet of you to let me stay here."

"No problem."

"So...did you sleep in here...like in the bed?"

"No, Don't worry. I slept out on the couch."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"You could have still slept in here with me, you know."

"Yeah, well I like to sleep naked, so I wasn't sure that sleeping in the same bed would have been appropriate." Emily smirked.

"You really sleep naked?"

"No, I'm just kidding." Emily laughed. "Why don't you go ahead and get ready, I'll drive you to school. You can borrow something to wear, if you want."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I don't exactly have the most extensive wardrobe, but you can help yourself to anything in my closet. I'm gonna go make some coffee. Let me know when you're ready to go."

Emily then turned and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her to give Spencer some privacy. Spencer laid back down and spent the next few minutes trying to process the fact that she was actually lying in Emily's bed. Spencer eventually got up and walked over to Emily's closet. She pulled out a black Texas Tech hoodie and slipped it on. Spencer then walked over to the mirror and smoothed out her hair before heading out of the room to find Emily.

 


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey, Spence." Aria said, approaching the brunette at her locker along with Hanna.

"Hey." Spencer tuned around to face her friends.

"Where'd you get the Texas Tech hoodie?" Aria asked. "Did you change your mind about schools?"

"No, I borrowed this from Emily. I slept over at her apartment last night and needed something to wear."

"Wait, back up for a minute." Hanna said. "What do mean you slept over at her apartment!?"

"Relax, Han." Spencer said. "It wasn't like that. She invited me over, we were watching a movie and I just fell asleep. That's all. It was honestly an accident."

"Did you like sleep in her bed?" Hanna smirked.

"Yes."

"Did you guys spoon?" Hanna nudged Spencer.

"Of course not." A dark shade of red crept across Spencer's face. "She didn't even sleep in the bedroom with me. She stayed on the couch in the living room."

"Still, you were at her apartment." Aria said. "She must like you if she invited you over."

"Totally. Just go for it, Spence." Hanna said.

"I want to, but what if she only likes me as a friend? I'll end up embarrassing myself."

"Can we at least meet this hottie?" Hanna asked. "Maybe we can help figure out if she's into you before you make a move."

"You guys want to come over after school? I kinda need a ride home, anyway."

"I'm definitely in." Hanna said.

"Me too." Aria agreed. "I can't wait to meet the girl who's obviously got you so head over heels."

"I know you guys are gonna love her. She's amazing."

* * *

Later that afternoon; Aria, Hanna and Spencer arrived at the Hastings' house. Aria and Hanna followed Spencer into the house, through the living room and into the kitchen, where Emily was alone, working on installing new cabinets.

"Hi, Emily." Spencer said.

Emily turned around to see Spencer standing in the kitchen with two girls, whom she didn't recognize.

"Hey, Spencer. What's up?"

"Not too much. I want you to meet my friends."

"I'm Hanna." The blonde spoke up first.

"Emily." The architect said, extending her hand to the blonde. "Spencer told me about you."

"Really? What did she say?" Hanna asked, excitedly.

"She said she had a friend named Hanna."

"Gee, thanks for the build-up, Spence." Hanna said, glancing over at her friend.

Emily laughed and shifted her gaze to Aria.

"I'm Aria." The shorter brunette also shook Emily's hand.

"Nice to meet you. Spencer talked about you too…so...is there something I can do for you girls?" Emily asked.

"I just wanted to give you back your sweatshirt." Spencer reached down and pulled the hoodie up over her head.

"Why don't you just go ahead and keep it?"

"Really?"

"Sure. I've got like a million more at home and that doesn't even include the ones my mom has."

"Thanks." Spencer said, trying to fight back the grin that was inevitably creeping across her face. "That's really nice of you."

"You're welcome. Too bad it's just a little bit big on you."

"I don't care. It's warm and comfortable. I love it. Maybe I'll grow into it. Everyone tells me I'm too skinny anyway."

"You look just fine to me."

"Thanks." Spencer blushed. "Well, uh...we'll be up in my room, if you need anything, just ask." Spencer said, remembering that she and Emily weren't the only ones in the room.

"Okay. Thanks, Spencer." Emily turned around to get back to work.

Spencer, Hanna and Aria then all made their way upstairs to Spencer's room.

"Oh my God, Spence, you have to date her." Hanna said. "She's sexy and knows how to build things. Nice butt too."

"I'm with Hanna." Aria agreed.

"And she's totally ripped." Hanna said. "Did you see those muscles?"

"You should see her without a shirt on." Spencer smirked.

"I'll definitely put that on my 'to do' list." Hanna said. "How the hell did you manage to sleep over at her house and not do anything?"

"I have a lot of self-control."

"Apparently." Hanna laughed.

"You've got it bad for this girl, Spence." Aria said.

"I know." Spencer sighed, flopping down on her bed. "I can't help it."

"I don't blame you. I can definitely see why you're so into her." Aria said.

"Now…in all seriousness, what exactly are you planning to do about all of this sexual tension?"

"You think we have sexual tension?"

"Are you kidding? I've never felt more sexual tension between two people in my life." Hanna said. "Make a move already, Spence. Opportunity waits."

"I don't even know where to start. I feel like I can barely breathe when I'm around her. I try so hard to hide it, but I get really nervous..."

"Aw, Spence." Aria said. "You should just sit down with her and tell her how you feel."

"Easier said than done. What if she really isn't into me at all and she's just being nice? I mean she's told me before that she's not looking for a girlfriend, maybe that's her way of telling me she isn't interested. What if I tell her that I like her and she shoots me down. It would make things awkward between us. How would I even face her again?"

"Or what if she's holding out because she feels the same way about you." Aria said. "I mean think about it, if you were her, would you be nervous to make a move on a client's daughter?"

"Definitely." Spencer said.

"See. Just subtly hint at your feelings, maybe you'll get her to open up."

"Yeah, Spence. It's not like you have to walk up to her and say 'I think you're hot, let's fuck.' But that would probably work too, so I wouldn't rule it out completely."

* * *

Later that evening, Aria, Hanna and Spencer were sitting on Spencer's bed, working on some homework when they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Spencer called out.

Emily then opened the door and stepped into the room.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm done for the day, so I'm heading out."

"Oh, okay…actually, before you go, do you think I could get you to do me a favor?" Spencer asked.

"What is it?"

"Well, I know it's not part of your job, but is there any way I could get you to change that light bulb for me?" Spencer asked, pointing to the light fixture on the ceiling in front of the bed. "It burned out yesterday morning and I can't quite reach it."

"Sure. I think I can handle that." Emily smiled.

"Thanks. I'll go grab you a new light bulb."

"I can get it." Emily said. "Where do you keep them?"

"There are some in the bathroom. On the top shelf of the cabinet."

"Okay. I'll be back in a second."

When Emily returned, she handed the light bulb to Spencer.

"Can you hold this for a minute?" Emily asked.

"Sure...can you reach it?"

"I think so." Emily said as she reached up over her head and removed the cover from the light fixture.

Emily then set the cover down on the bed. Spencer watched Emily's t shirt slowly ride up her stomach as she reached above her head again, to unscrew the light bulb from its socket. Emily handed the old light bulb to Spencer and took the new one. Once Emily had screwed in the new bulb, she replaced the cover over the light.

"There you go. Good as new." Emily said.

"Thank you." Spencer said.

"No problem. I'm gonna get going. It was nice meeting you guys too." Emily said, shifting her gaze to Hanna and Aria.

"You too." Hanna and Aria both replied at the same time.

"I'll see you later. Oh and Spencer, if you happen to need anything while your parents are out of town, feel free to give me a call. You've got my number."

"Thank you."

Emily then turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

When Emily got back downstairs, she met her crew, who were just finishing packing up their tools.

"So...Em, we were thinking about going out for a few drinks." Mike said. "You in?"

"I don't know..."

"Come out with us, Em. It'll be fun." Ben said, nudging the architect.

"Okay, okay. I'll go."

"Sweet. Hollis Bar and Grille?" Chris asked.

"Sure." Emily said. "Just let me go home and take a quick shower, I'll meet you guys there in about an hour."

* * *

A little over an hour later, Emily got to the bar. She walked inside and over to a table where her friends were sitting.

"Hey Em." Chris said as Emily sat down at the table. "Got you a beer." He slid a bottle across the table to Emily.

"Thanks, dude. I'll get the next round."

"Nice. I love when you come out with us." Mike said. "So...you guys think any hot Hollis girls will show up tonight?"

"I hope so." Chris said. "What do you say, Em? Will you be our wingman?"

"No way." Mike chimed in. "Em's a terrible wingman. The girls always just end up hitting on her. She's a huge cockblock."

Emily just rolled her eyes as everyone else laughed.

* * *

Later that night.

Emily, Ben and Chris all watched from across the bar as a slightly intoxicated Mike hit on girl after girl. Having almost no luck, he returned to the table, slumping down next to Emily.

"So...where are all these girls you were supposed to hook up with?" Emily laughed.

"Okay, hot shot, which one of these ladies are you taking home tonight?" Mike asked, raising his beer bottle to his lips and finishing off the remaining liquid.

"None of them." Emily said, nonchalantly.

"Come on, Em. You've gotta be dying to get some." Mike said. "When was the last time you actually had sex?"

"I don't know. It's been a couple of months, I think."

"That doesn't bother you?" Chris asked.

"Not really. It's not that big of a deal to me."

"There has to be some girl you're interested in, Em." Ben said.

"Well...actually there is this one girl, but I don't know if she likes me."

"What's not to like?" Chris said.

"Yeah, I mean if you were straight...I'd totally be all over that." Mike slurred as he threw his arm around Emily's shoulder.

"No, just no." Emily shook her head. "There are so many things wrong with that statement, I can't even..."

Ben and Chris both laughed.

"So...who's the girl, Em?" Ben asked.

"Spencer Hastings." Emily said, taking a drink from her beer bottle.

"You're into the Hastings' daughter?" Chris said. "She's hot and everything, but I thought you said she was engaged and a bitch."

"Not the older one, the younger one."

"Dude, get on that." Mike said. "She's always like following you around and shit. She wants your dick."

Emily just stared at Mike and narrowed her eyebrows.

"You know what I mean."

"I know you usually like younger women, but isn't she still in high school?" Chris said.

"Well, yeah..."

"You know, her parents are like big name lawyers; not just in this town, but in the whole state." Ben said. "If they find out you're messing around with their daughter, they'll ruin you..."

"She's eighteen. Having a relationship with her wouldn't be illegal."

"I'm glad that you're finally showing interest in someone other than Stephanie." Chris said. "But, are you sure that hooking up with a client's daughter is a good idea?"

"It's a terrible idea and I usually wouldn't even consider it, but I can't help it. I can't stop thinking about her. I haven't felt this close to someone since Stephanie and I were together. I mean I actually care about Spencer and I think she might like me. With a little bit of time, I think I'd be able to win her over."

"I'm sure you can." Ben said. "But, I really think that getting romantically involved with someone so young will only end badly for you. You're more experienced and mature, but she's not even out of high school yet. I mean look at what happened with you and Stephanie, she was young and immature. She walked all over you and you ended up getting your heart broken. I just don't want to see you get hurt again, Em. I think you'd be a lot happier with someone your own age."

"Maybe you're right. I don't know what I was thinking...Spencer's so far out of my league anyway, it's not even funny." Emily \sighed heavily. "I don't know why I even bother. Stephanie didn't want me, why would any other girl? I'll just end up spending the rest of my life alone."

"Em, that's not what I meant at all." Ben said.

"Whether you did or not, it's the truth, I better learn to live with it…I'm going to get another beer." Emily stood up from the table and picked up her beer bottle, finishing it off as she made her way across the crowded room to the bar.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" The bartender, a petite, young, redhead asked.

Emily set her empty bottle down on the counter and sat down at one of the stools.

"Can I get another beer and a couple of whiskey shots, please?"

"Rough day?"

"Something like that."

"Poor thing. I'll get those for you in just a second."

The bartender set two shot glasses down in front of Emily and filled them up. She then picked up a bottle of beer and removed the cap.

"There you go, hun." The bartender said, sliding the bottle to Emily. "These are on the house, tonight."

"Thanks a lot." Emily smiled softly at the woman across the bar.

"No problem. And keep smiling, you're way too cute to look so depressed. Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Thanks."

Emily picked up one of the shot glasses and tossed back the first shot. The liquid burned her throat all the way down, but she still picked up the remaining shot and downed it as well. Emily sat alone at the bar for a while as she drank her beer.

"Hi, what are you drinking?" The bartender asked a woman who was now standing beside Emily.

"Vodka cranberry, please."

"Coming right up."

Emily glanced over at the tall, twenty-something brunette, standing beside her.

"Heather?" Emily said.

"Emily? Hey." The woman smiled.

The bartender then handed the brunette her drink.

"Thank you."

"So...what are you doing here? I thought you got a job in Washington DC." Emily asked.

"I did. I'm just passing through Rosewood on my way back to Philadelphia. I'm flying back to Washington tomorrow morning."

"Oh, well...how have you been?"

"Great. How about you?"

"Okay. I work a lot."

"You always did…that hasn't changed and I see you're still as sexy as ever. You seeing anyone?"

"Nope." Emily said, lifting her beer bottle to her lips.

"Really?"

"Really."

The brunette then set her drink down on the bar, leaned over and pressed her lips against Emily's. Heather laced her fingers into Emily's hair as she slipped her tongue into the architect's mouth. When the kiss was broken, Heather leaned back to look at Emily.

"What do you say we go back to your place?" Heather said, running her fingers through Emily's hair. "For a little fun..."

"Well...I uh..."

"Come on, Em, I've already seen you naked." Heather stood up and draped her arms over Emily's shoulders. "It's not like we've never slept together before. Besides, it's pretty lonely in my hotel room. I could use some company."

"I wouldn't want you to be lonely." Emily placed her hands on the other girl's hips and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Great. Let's get out of here." Heather tugged on Emily's hand, getting her to stand up.

The architect then stumbled drunkenly behind Heather, holding onto her hand as they made their way to the door.

 


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Emily woke up with a pounding headache. She looked over at Heather who was lying in bed next to her, still sleeping. Emily then glanced over at the clock which was next to the bed and realized that she had slept through her alarm and was already late for work.

"Shit." Emily groaned and rubbed her eyes, before slowly getting out of bed to get dressed.

After a few minutes, Heather began to stir, she rolled over and noticed Emily getting dressed.

"What are you putting clothes on for?" Heather said, sitting up as she pulled the blanket up to her chest. "Come back to bed, Em."

"I can't. I'm already late for work." Emily said, pulling on a pair of jeans. "You should probably get dressed too, I don't want you to miss your flight."

"I can always catch the next one. No big deal."

Heather got out of bed, wearing nothing but a t shirt and walked over to Emily.

"You were great last night. Every bit as good as I remember." Heather said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck. "What can I do to convince you to come back to bed with me?"

"Heather...I know we've hooked up in the past, but nothing should have happened last night. I was drunk and I'm sorry if I mislead you into thinking that…"

"You always were a player…I guess some things never change. Listen Em, if you're worried about commitment, you don't need to be. I'm not looking for a relationship either, just a good fuck."

"I really have to go to work." Emily backed away from Heather and pulled a shirt out of her dresser.

"All right. If I can't change your mind, I guess I'll head back over to my hotel." Heather said as she began gathering her clothes off of the floor.

"I'll call you a cab."

"Thank you."

"So…you want your t shirt back?" Heather asked, tugging on the shirt that hung loosely from her own body.

"Uh…no, you can just take it with you."

It wasn't long before Emily and Heather heard a car horn outside.

"That must be my ride." Heather said. "If you're ever in D.C. and looking for a good time, give me a call."

Heather then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Emily alone. Emily walked over to her bed and sat down. She ran her fingers through her hair as her head throbbed.

"Damn it." Emily mumbled to herself. "I'm such a fuck."

* * *

When Emily got to the Hastings' house, she walked inside to find her crew was already at work.

"Sorry I'm late." Emily said.

"Hey, Em." Chris said. "What happened to you last night? You never came back. We tried calling and texting you like a million times."

"Yeah, we looked all over the bar for you too. We couldn't find you." Mike added.

"After I left you guys, I ran into Heather and we went back to my apartment."

"Heather as in your ex-girlfriend Heather?" Chris asked.

"She was never my girlfriend. We hooked up a few times. That's it."

"Are you okay, Em? You seem a little on edge." Ben said.

"I got wasted and slept with Heather last night. Now, I have a terrible hangover, I'm depressed and regret everything I did. So yeah, you could say I'm a little on edge."

"If it had anything to do with our conversation about Spencer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything to upset you." Ben said. "I was just trying to look out for you."

"Let's just drop it. We've got work to do." Emily said. "This kitchen is already taking longer than I planned."

"Em…I really am sorry…" Ben said.

"It's fine." Emily strapped her tool belt around her waist and walked across the room.

* * *

For most of the day, Emily barely spoke at all as she worked. It wasn't until mid-afternoon when she finally said something to her crew.

"I'm taking a break…I'll be back soon."

"Do you want to go grab some lunch together?" Chris asked.

"I think I kinda just want to be by myself for a while." Emily said as she turned around and walked out of the house.

"This is all your fault, you know." Mike said, looking at Ben.

"What's my fault?"

"It's your fault that Emily is so depressed. She was in a good mood last night...you know how long it took her to get over Stephanie. She's finally interested in someone and you had to go fuck it all up."

"I didn't do anything wrong." Ben said. "I'm looking out for Emily. She's young and successful, I don't want to see her career ruined by Spencer's parents when things don't work out. Emily's got way too much ahead of her."

"Who says things won't work out?" Mike said. "Maybe they will. We don't know. I think if Emily's interested in this girl, she should at least ask her out."

Mike then turned and walked out the door, hoping to catch up to Emily. When he got outside, Mike noticed that Emily was sitting in her truck, just staring blankly out the driver's side window.

"Hey, Em." Mike said, opening the passenger side door of the truck. "I'm glad you didn't leave. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I guess so..." Emily sighed. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say...if you want to ask Spencer out, I think you should go for it. I know I'm not really a big 'share your feelings' type of guy, but I want you to know that I support you no matter what. You might be my boss, but you're also one of the best friends I've ever had. You've always been there for me and I want to do the same for you."

"Thanks." Emily smiled softly. "Do you think I even stand a chance with Spencer?"

"Sure. There's no way she could ever turn you down."

"You don't think I'm totally crazy for going after an eighteen year old?"

"No way. Age doesn't matter. If she makes you happy, you should at least take a shot."

"Thanks, Mike. That really means a lot."

"No problem, Em. I'll always have your back."

* * *

"So...have you told Emily you're totally hot for her, yet?" Hanna asked as she approached Spencer at her locker.

"No way...I didn't even get to see her this morning. She wasn't at my house yet, when I left. I had to get to school early for a mandatory morning hockey workout."

"Ew. That's why I don't play sports. Way too much commitment."

"Yeah. The commitment's the reason you don't play." Spencer said, sarcastically as she shut her locker. "Good one."

"Whatever, sports are boring anyway." Hanna rolled her eyes and laughed. "Let's discuss more important things...have you had any more sexy dreams about Emily?"

"Not lately." Spencer said. "But I can't stop thinking about her...it's driving me crazy. I know I need to tell her how I feel, but I don't even know what to say, I really need to clear my mind…"

"How about if we go out and see a movie or something? We can have a girls' night, maybe Aria and I can help you sort out your feelings."

"That sounds great. Just don't invite Alison."

"You guys fighting?"

"Not really fighting, but I'm kinda pissed at her."

"What'd she do?"

"Well…she sort of figured out that I'm into Emily and instead of helping me figure out how to approach her, Alison just strolls over to her and openly hits on her right in front of me. I know she only did it to piss me off."

"What a bitch."

"I know. Who does that to a friend?"

"It's Alison. I'm never surprised by anything she does…I better get to class before I get another detention. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Han."

* * *

Later that evening, Spencer, Hanna and Aria decided to have coffee at the Applerose Grille before the movie.

"We should probably head over to the theater." Aria said.

Spencer, Aria and Hanna all stood up, left some money on the table and began walking toward the door. The girls were walking across the front of the restaurant when Hanna stopped.

"Hey. Isn't that Emily?" Hanna asked, staring across the restaurant.

"Funny, Han." Spencer said. "I'm not falling for it."

"I'm serious. She's over at the front counter."

Aria and Spencer both turned to look.

"Hey, that is Emily." Spencer smiled.

"Told you." Hanna said. "And she looks damn good in a leather jacket."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to date her, Han." Aria said.

"Well excuse me for being able to appreciate an attractive person when I see one...you have to go talk to her, Spence. I mean this is totally like fate, what are the odds that'd we'd run into her?"

"Well...she's buying coffee at one of like two coffee shops in town, I'd say the odds were pretty good. Not sure I'm ready to call it fate." Spencer said.

"I don't care what you call it, as long as you go talk to her." Hanna shoved Spencer forward.

"Okay, okay. I'll go say hi."

Spencer then slowly made her way across the room to the front counter.

"Hi, Emily."

Emily turned around.

"Spencer. Hey." Emily said, obviously surprised to see the brunette. "Aria, Hanna. It's good to see you guys again. What are you all up to tonight?"

"We were actually just on our way to see a movie." Spencer said. "You wanna join us?"

"Sure. Sounds like fun."

"We should get going, then. We don't have much time." Spencer said.

As they all walked toward the door, Hanna lagged behind for a few seconds and grabbed Aria's arm.

"I have an idea to get them together." Hanna said.

"What is it?"

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

"You two coming?" Emily asked, looking back at Aria and Hanna.

They both nodded and when they caught up to Emily and Spencer, Emily opened the door and motioned for Spencer and her friends to go first.

"So...what movie were you guys planning to see?" Emily asked.

"We haven't really decided yet." Spencer said. "I'm up for anything though. What do you guys wanna see?" Spencer turned toward Aria and Hanna.

"Crap, I totally forgot...I can't go to the movie." Hanna said. "I promised my mom I'd cook dinner tonight. She'll be pissed if she gets home and I'm not there. I already flaked on her once this week."

"Han, calm down." Aria said. "I'll come over and help you. When your mom gets home, dinner will be ready and waiting. Problem solved."

"Thanks, Aria. Come on, let's go."

"Sorry we can't make it to the movie." Aria said. "You guys have a good time."

Hanna gave Spencer a quick wink before grabbing Aria's hand and dragging her off.

"And then there were two." Emily said.

"You don't mind if just the two of us see a movie anyway, do you?" Spencer asked.

"Not at all."

"Damn, I'm good." Hanna said as she and Aria disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

"That was a really nice thing you did for Spencer. I just hope she gets the chance to tell Emily how she feels."

"Me too." Hanna said as she pulled out her phone and began typing.

A few moments later, Spencer reached for her phone in her pocket when she heard it ping. She opened her text inbox, where she had a new message from Hanna.

**Enjoy your date. Get some. ;) Text me later.**   
**XO Han.**

Spencer smiled to herself and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Was it important?" Emily asked.

"No, it's okay. Let's go."

* * *

"Where do you want to sit?" Emily asked as she and Spencer walked into their theater.

"Somewhere in the middle, if you don't mind. I hate the front."

"Me too." Emily laughed.

"Are you hungry?" Emily asked. "I wasn't when we got here, but now I think I kinda want some popcorn. Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks. I'm okay."

"All right. I'll be back in a minute then."

Once Emily had left, Spencer fished her phone out of her pocket and began typing a message to Hanna.

**I need your help. How do I know if Emily thinks this is a date?**

**Did she buy your ticket?**

**Yeah. I didn't expect her to, but she insisted...**

**She totally wants you, Spence. Get her to give you a ride home and whatever you do, DO NOT let her leave until she kisses you goodnight.**

**I'm nervous. :/**

**Don't be. Just relax.**

After a few minutes, Emily returned.

"Sorry I took so long. The snack line was ridiculous." Emily said as she sat down.

"It's okay."

"You want some popcorn?" Emily held the bag out to Spencer. "I got extra butter."

"Thanks." Spencer smiled as she took a handful of popcorn. "So...I missed you this morning. You weren't at my house by the time I left."

"Yeah, I was running a little late. I wasn't really feeling all that well this morning."

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I feel a lot better, actually."

"Good."

When the movie began; Spencer leaned back in her chair and tried to focus on the screen, but she was much too distracted by practicing in her head, all of the things she wanted to say to Emily afterward.

* * *

When the movie had ended for the evening, Spencer found herself even more nervous as she and Emily walked outside.

"Do you need a ride home?" Emily asked.

"If you wouldn't mind that would be great."

"I don't mind at all. We'll just have to walk back to coffee shop to pick up my car. I was actually hoping that maybe you and I could talk..."

"Of course." Spencer said, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. "You can come back to my place."

"Sounds good."

As they walked down the sidewalk, Spencer shivered a little from the cool fall air.

"Cold?" Emily asked.

"A little bit."

"I think I can fix that." Emily took her jacket off and held it out for Spencer to slip her arms through. "Take my jacket."

"Thanks, Emily."

"Don't mention it."

As they continued walking, Spencer moved closer to Emily and linked her arm with the architect's.

* * *

When they got back to the Hastings' house, Spencer unlocked the door and Emily followed her into the living room. As she walked over to the couch, Spencer took Emily's jacket off and handed it back to her.

"Thanks again for letting me borrow your jacket. That was really sweet of you."

"No problem."

"So...what did you want to talk about?" Spencer asked as she sat down on the couch.

"Well…" Emily said, laying her jacket down on the armrest of the couch, before taking a seat next to the brunette. "I kinda get the feeling that your friends set us up...was tonight a date?"

"I swear I had nothing to do with it..." Spencer answered quickly.

"Relax. I'm not upset about it. I'm bringing it up because I want to know whether or not you considered tonight a date."

"Well...I uh...what do you think?" Spencer asked, gluing her eyes to the floor.

"I asked you first…but I think I'm hoping that you had a good time on a date with me...listen Spencer, I have to be honest with you here...I like you…a lot and it's been a really long time since I've connected with someone the way I have with you..."

"Do you really mean that?" Spencer felt her heart flutter in her chest as she looked up at Emily.

"Of course I do. You're smart and funny…" Emily said, leaning closer to Spencer as she spoke. "And so beautiful…" Emily reached up and tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear.

Spencer's heart pounded so hard against her ribcage that she was convinced it would escape. Spencer inhaled the musky, yet sweet scent of Emily's perfume as the architect stared into her eyes. Spencer took a deep breath and closed her eyes as her lips met Emily's for the very first time. Spencer's hands moved clumsily from Emily's shoulders to her hair. Spencer couldn't believe this was actually happening. She absolutely loved everything about the kiss; from the way Emily tasted slightly like buttered popcorn, to the gentle, yet deliberate way Emily's hands caressed her face. All Spencer knew was that she never wanted the kiss to end, but of course it did when she and Emily eventually ran out of oxygen. When the kiss was broken, Emily pulled back and looked at Spencer.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to do that?" Spencer asked, her mind still reeling from the kiss.

"It couldn't possibly be as long as I've been waiting to work up the nerve to actually do it." Emily said, taking the brunette's hand.

"Spencer…I know it's unethical, inappropriate and totally unprofessional to become emotionally involved with a client's daughter...and I've tried so hard not feel the way I do, but I can't help it…"

"Emily, I couldn't care less if you're working for my family or not. I was lucky enough to meet this sweet, wonderful person who I care a lot about. You've done so much for me in just the short time that we've known each other. It doesn't matter to me how we met, the important thing is that we did and I'd really like to get to know you better."

"Does that mean you'll let me take you out on an official first date?"

"I'd love that."

"Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night? I'll make us a reservation at the nicest restaurant I can find in Philadelphia."

"I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday night." Spencer smiled brightly at Emily. "And I can't wait to go out with you…officially, I mean. Thank you for the movie tonight, by the way."

"You're welcome…but it's getting kind of late…I should probably be getting home and you've got school in the morning." Emily stood up and slipped her jacket on.

"I'll walk you out."

Spencer also stood up from the couch and walked over to the door with Emily.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." Emily said, before leaning in and kissing Spencer on the cheek. "Goodnight, Spencer."

"Goodnight." Spencer said, softly as she watched Emily turn and walk down the porch stairs.

Once Emily was out of sight, Spencer shut the door and walked back over to the couch. She flopped down on her back and squealed happily as she fished her cell phone out of her pocket to text her friends.

 


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Emily arrived at the Hastings' house early for work. She gathered her tools from the back of her truck and headed to the house, hoping to have the chance to see Spencer before she left for school. Emily couldn't remember the last time she was in this good of a mood. She knocked on the front door and after a minute or two, Spencer opened it.

"Good morning." Emily said as she walked into the house.

"Morning." Spencer smiled. "How are you?"

"Great. We're still on for our date, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything. Where are we eating?"

"I got us a reservation at that new Italian place in Philadelphia."

"The one that just opened a few months ago?"

"Yeah...is that okay? Because if you'd rather go somewhere else we can." Emily said, her voice suddenly sounding slightly nervous. "Just let me know."

"I love that place. It's one of my favorites."

"Okay, good." Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "So...do you want me to pick you up here after I go home and change?"

"That would be perfect."

"So…what exactly do we tell your parents when I come to pick you up?" Emily asked, reaching down and taking Spencer's hands in her own.

"Don't worry. They won't be here. They're still out of town until Sunday. I can't wait until tonight, but I really have to get to school."

"Okay." Emily placed her hand behind Spencer's head and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight."

"Can we just fast forward straight to tonight?" Spencer said, feeling her knees go slightly weak at Emily's touch.

"I wish we could." Emily smiled.

Spencer then wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her.

"I'll see you later." Spencer said before picking up her book bag and heading out the door.

* * *

"Hey, Spence. There you are. I missed you this morning." Hanna said, noticing her friend walking down the hall.

"I know, sorry. I left my house a little late because I really wanted to see Emily before school."

"I hear you actually made a move on miss sexy architect." Alison said. "It's about time."

"Tell me about the kiss." Hanna said, excitedly. "Did Emily slip you the tongue last night or what?"

"No. It wasn't like that."

"Lame." Alison sighed.

Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Our kiss was pretty innocent, but it was still the best kiss I've ever had. I was just praying that I wasn't gonna puke on her shoes or something. I was so nervous."

"So does this mean you and Emily are like officially a couple?" Aria asked.

"I hope so, Emily's taking me out to dinner tonight on our first official date. So we'll see how that goes."

"Sounds pretty legit to me." Hanna said.

"I just hope everything goes well. I really want this to work."

"It will. Don't worry so much." Hanna said.

"Thanks, Han. Will you guys come over after school to help me pick out something to wear?"

"If you want to impress Emily, you're gonna need all the help you can get." Alison said. "I'll meet you at your house after school."

Alison then turned and walked off into one of the nearby classrooms.

"Don't pay any attention to her, Spence." Aria said. "I'm sure Emily will love what ever you wear."

"You guys will come over too, right? I want your opinions. This date is really important to me."

"You know we'll be there." Hanna said. "I gotta get to class. See ya later."

* * *

"What do you guys think about this one?" Spencer asked, smoothing out the fabric of her short, black, one-shouldered Christian Dior dress.

"I love it." Aria said.

"So do I." Hanna agreed. "It's a classic little black dress. You look fantastic."

"You can't wear that." Alison said, getting up off of Spencer's bed.

"Why not?" Aria asked. "She looks great."

"I'm just not feeling it." Alison said.

"It's Dior, Alison." Hanna said.

"Does Emily look like the type of girl who knows designers?" Alison said.

"Well...what's wrong with this? What don't you like about it?" Spencer asked.

"Look at the neckline. It draws way too much attention to your chest." Alison said. "Let's face it, Spence you don't really have the boobs to pull off this dress."

"I think you look amazing." Hanna said, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Emily won't know what hit her."

"I really like this dress…" Spencer said.

"Definitely wear this one. You won't regret it." Aria said.

"That's three against one. Majority rules." Spencer said.

"Fine, don't take my advice." Alison said. "But I'm telling you, girls like Emily are only gonna be looking at two things...boobs and ass and you're not really very qualified in either department."

"First of all, you're stereotyping her and you've got it all wrong. Just because Emily works in the construction industry doesn't mean she's preoccupied with sex. You're just jealous." Spencer said, staring at the blonde.

"You keep thinking that, Spence, whatever helps you sleep at night." Alison said, sarcastically. "You're going to way too much trouble just to lose your v-card."

"It's not about sex, I told you that." Spencer said. "I want to have a relationship with Emily."

"You realize it'll never work out. She works for your family." Alison said. "It'd almost be like your parents are paying her to have sex with you."

"Shut up." Spencer snapped.

"I'm just saying. Don't you think your parents will be pissed off when they find out their architect is doing a lot more than remodeling their house?"

"It's not like she's going to be working here forever. And my parents don't need to know everything."

"You know, now that I think about it, your parents probably won't find out anyway." Alison said. "I mean they'd actually have to take an interest in your life to figure it out."

"If you're not going to be helpful you can just leave." Spencer said.

"Fine. I've got more important things to do anyway." Alison shrugged.

Alison then walked out of the room.

"Don't worry about her, Spence. She's just mad that you met someone you really care about." Aria said, taking Spencer's hand. "Come on. Let's do your hair."

"Do you think I should I keep it up or..." Spencer asked, tugging at her ponytail.

"Definitely let it down." Hanna said. "You've got great natural waves. You'll look gorgeous. Emily won't be able to keep her hands off of you. You'll be lucky if you even make it to the restaurant."

"Hanna..." Spencer sighed.

* * *

That evening when Spencer heard her doorbell ring, she immediately felt extremely nervous, but very excited at the same time.

"You ready?" Hanna asked.

"I think so." Spencer said, taking one last look in the mirror.

"Good. Just relax. You're gonna have a great time tonight." Aria said. "You look awesome."

"Let us know how everything goes tonight." Hanna said.

"I will."

Spencer then headed downstairs. She took a deep breath and opened the door where she found Emily standing on the front porch, absently tugging at a loose thread on the sleeve of her blazer.

"Hi, Emily."

Emily's head immediately snapped up at the sound of Spencer's voice.

"Wow. Spencer...you look incredible." Emily's eyes wandered all over Spencer's body. "Are you...uh...ready to go?"

"I'm ready if you are."

"Great." Emily placed her hand on the small of Spencer's back and guided her down the porch stairs to the car.

Emily opened the passenger side door of her car and waited for Spencer to get in.

"Thank you." Spencer flashed Emily a quick smile before getting into the car.

Emily closed the car door and walked around to the other side.

* * *

When they got to the restaurant, Emily and Spencer both stepped out of the car. Spencer linked her arm with Emily's as they walked inside. They approached the hostess' podium where a slender, middle-aged woman in a plain navy blue dress was standing.

"Hi there. Do you ladies have a reservation tonight?" The woman asked.

"Yes. It's under Emily Fields."

"Here it is. Your table will be ready shortly. Please feel free to have a drink at the bar while you wait. I'll come get you as soon as your table is ready."

"Thanks." Emily smiled and took Spencer's hand as they walked toward the crowded bar to the one remaining empty stool.

"Why don't you sit down?" Emily said.

"You sure?"

"Of course. I can stand. No problem."

"Hi. What can I get for you, sweetheart?" The bartender, a thin, balding man asked, making eye contact with Spencer.

"Could I get a virgin strawberry daiquiri please?" Spencer asked.

"You got it." The man said. "And for you?" He focused his attention on Emily.

"Gin and tonic, please."

"Of course. Could I check your ID, please?"

"Sure." Emily pulled her wallet out of her jacket pocket and took out her driver's license. "Here you are." Emily handed her ID to the bartender.

"Thank you. I'll be right back with your drinks."

When the bartender returned, he placed Emily and Spencer's drinks in front of them.

"Thank you." Emily said, picking up her glass.

"Have you ever been here before?" Spencer asked, looking up at Emily.

"Nope. This is my first time." Emily raised her glass to her lips.

"The food's great."

"I'm glad to hear that because I'm starving."

"So...what does a gin and tonic taste like?" Spencer asked.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" Emily placed her glass down on the counter and slid it toward Spencer. "I'll look the other way." She laughed.

Spencer picked up the glass and tentatively took a small sip.

"Well...?" Emily asked.

"It tastes how a pine tree smells." Spencer said, scrunching her nose and sliding the glass back to Emily. "I think I'll stick to this." Spencer went back to her strawberry daiquiri.

"Gin's kind of an acquired taste." Emily laughed. "I didn't like it the first time I tried it, but it's grown on me. I remember on my twenty first birthday, my dad bought me my first drink, it was a gin and tonic. I hated it; but it's his favorite, so I choked it down and pretended it was the best thing I'd ever tasted."

"Aw. You wanted to impress your dad? That's too cute."

"Yeah. My dad's always been my biggest role model, he still is."

It wasn't long before the hostess approached Emily and Spencer.

"I'll show you ladies to your table if you're ready."

"Great, thank you." Emily said.

Spencer stood up. She and Emily followed the hostess to an intimate table for two near the middle of the restaurant.

"Here are a couple of menus." The hostess said, placing the menus on the table. "Your waiter will be with you in just a minute. Enjoy your dinner."

"Thank you." Emily and Spencer said at the same time.

As the hostess walked away, Emily pulled Spencer's chair out for her and waited for the brunette to sit down.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled at Emily.

"You're welcome." Emily said, before moving to the other side of the table and sitting down.

Emily and Spencer then began browsing through their menus.

"Everything sounds so good." Emily said. "I don't know what to get."

"I forgot how expensive everything is."

Emily put her menu down and stared across the table at Spencer.

"Spencer, please order anything you want. Money isn't an object. Now, you're the expert, what would you recommend?"

"The chicken marsala is amazing."

"Awesome. That's what I'll get, then."

"Me too. It's one of my favorites."

* * *

"You were right. This chicken is amazing." Emily said, raising her fork to her mouth.

"I told you." Spencer smiled as she lifted her water glass to her lips.

"You know, I'm really glad you agreed to go out with me tonight." Emily said. "It's been a while since I've been out on an official date."

"Well, you sure haven't forgotten how to be sweet and charming."

"Thanks...listen, Spencer, I hope you're having a good time with me tonight because…I…I'd really like to keep seeing you."

"You would?"

"Definitely. I feel like I've really been able to open up to you. I'm lucky to have gotten the chance to get to know you."

"I'm glad I've gotten to know you too. I'm having a great time tonight."

"So…does...that mean...you'll be my...girlfriend?" Emily said, finding herself stumbling slightly over her words.

"I thought you didn't want a girlfriend? " Spencer joked, playfully.

"I didn't, or at least I didn't think I did, but that all kind of went out the window when I met you. What do your friends think about me?" Emily asked. "I've gotten the impression that their opinions probably matter a lot to you."

"They like you. They think you're nice and really cute. Oh and Hanna thinks you have a nice butt."

"She said that?" Emily laughed.

"Yep. Hanna doesn't really have a censor button. She'll tell you exactly what she thinks. Your mom will be okay with us dating, right?"

"Are you kidding? The day she met you, she was all over me to ask you out."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yeah. She said she 'sensed something between us.' And she thought you seemed to like me."

"She was definitely right." Spencer lifted her last forkful of pasta to her mouth.

"Speaking of parents...how exactly do we tell yours about us?"

"They don't need to know. At least not right away. We'll figure out how to tell them eventually, but right now I'm not really that worried about it."

A moment later the waiter returned.

"Can I bring you two any dessert?"

"What would you recommend?" Emily asked, looking up at their waiter.

"The tiramisu is excellent…and big enough for two." He smiled.

"What do you think, Spencer?" Emily asked.

"That sounds fantastic."

"I'll bring that right out, then." The waiter turned and walked away.

When the waiter returned, he placed the dessert plate in the middle of the table, along with two forks.

"Can I get you ladies anything else this evening?"

"I think we're okay, thanks." Emily answered.

"All right. I'll bring your check."

* * *

All too soon Spencer found herself standing back on her front porch with Emily.

"I still can't believe you actually asked me out." Spencer said.

"I've wanted to ask you out for a while now, but I thought for sure that you'd turn me down."

"How could I ever turn you down?"

"I thought you were straight..."

"Yeah, but that night at your apartment, I told you I was curious about my sexuality, I practically threw myself at you and you didn't make one single move on me."

"I wanted to kiss you that night or at least tell you how I felt, but how could I? You just told me that you weren't sure whether you liked guys or girls or both. It wasn't like I could've just jumped you right then and there. I would have felt like I was taking advantage of you and the situation. I didn't want you to feel pressured." Emily reached down and took Spencer's hand.

Without saying anything else, Emily leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to Spencer's as her hands planted themselves on the brunette's hips. Spencer draped her arms over the architect's shoulders and laced her fingers into Emily's hair. Emily tentatively deepened the kiss and slowly opened her mouth. The cool evening air combined with Emily's hands gently caressing the small of her back, sent shivers down Spencer's spine. When the kiss was broken, Spencer opened her eyes and stared at Emily.

"I think I could get used to this." Spencer said, her hands coming to rest flat over Emily's chest, just below her shoulders.

"So could I." Emily agreed.

"Am I gonna get to see you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early." Emily smiled and leaned in to kiss Spencer again. "You'll be here, right?"

"I'll be here all day if it means I get to watch you work. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not one bit...well...I guess I should let you go before you freeze...it's pretty cold out tonight. I'll see you tomorrow morning; if you need anything, just call me."

"Thanks, Emily."

"Good night." Emily then turned to leave.

"Night."

 


	17. Chapter 17

When Emily returned home that evening, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on. Emily noticed that she had a missed call from her mother, she slipped her blazer off and dialed her mother's number, after a few rings Pam picked up.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Is everything okay? You called?"

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to check in with you. I haven't heard from you in a while. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Sorry I missed your call. I had my phone turned off, I was out for dinner."

"By yourself?"

"No. Believe it or not, I had a date. And I have a new girlfriend."

"You do? Emily, that's wonderful. Who's the lucky girl? What's she like?"

"You've met her. I finally worked up the nerve to ask Spencer Hastings out and surprisingly enough, she actually likes me. You were right."

"That's exactly why you should always listen to your mother, Emily. How was your date? I assume you were nothing but sweet and polite?"

"Of course. I was a perfect angel."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. I just wish that I'd known you were seeing someone earlier today."

"Why's that?" Emily asked as she walked to into her bedroom and set her keys on the dresser.

"I just happened to run into Stephanie this afternoon...it would have been nice to tell her all about your new girlfriend...I would have liked to let her know that some other girl is perfectly happy to have you..."

"You don't have to try to make my ex girlfriends jealous, mom." Emily said, using her free hand to undo the buttons on her shirt. "How's the baby?"

"He seems to be doing well. He's gotten big and looks just like his mother."

"And how's Steph?"

"She seems fine. I didn't really feel much like chatting with her."

"Well...is she married?"

"I didn't ask, but she wasn't wearing a ring, so I doubt it."

"Oh..." Emily said, with a surprised tone as she undid the last button on her shirt.

"You sound surprised."

"I am a little surprised. I just assumed that since she didn't marry me, the guy who got her pregnant would have married her. It just seems like the right thing to do, I think."

"Apparently she was good enough for that boy to sleep with, but not to marry. As proud as I am of you for stepping up and being responsible for her mistake, I'm still glad you're not stuck raising a baby right now. I think Stephanie did you a favor by leaving. You have too much going on to have to worry about raising a baby."

"I guess..."

"Now, enough about Stephanie, tell me about your date with Spencer."

"Well...it was great. I took her to this beautiful Italian restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. We had a really nice dinner together and I can't wait to take her out again."

"I'm glad you had a good time. Spencer seems like a very nice girl."

"She is. I like her a lot."

"And how do her parents feel about you two?"

"They don't know we're together yet...and I'm not so sure they'll be too crazy about it. I think it'll be best if we wait to tell them until I'm finished remodeling their house. It'll be less awkward for everyone if I'm not working there everyday."

"You don't think they like you?"

"They like me as an architect, I just don't know that they'll be thrilled about the age difference between Spencer and I or the fact that I'm a woman. They don't know that Spencer is even interested in women. Who knows how they'll react when she comes out?"

"I would hope that they'd be understanding, supportive and accepting, everything that I wish I had been when you first came out. I still regret not supporting you right from the start."

"It's okay. We're over that now. I'm not angry...I just hope Spencer's parents don't end up totally hating me..."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Even if it takes some time for them to get used to the idea of you two together, I'm sure they'll see that you're a sweet, caring person and someone that they should be happy their daughter is with."

"Thanks, mom."

"It's the truth, Emily...I'll let you go. I'm glad everything went well tonight. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"Love you too. Bye, mom."

Emily sat down on her bed and leaned her back against the headboard. A few moments later Emily heard her phone chime, she picked it up to see that she had a new message from Spencer.

Thanks again for tonight. I had an amazing time. I can't wait to see you tomorrow morning. :)

Emily smiled to herself as she began typing a reply.

* * *

The next morning, Emily showed up for work happier than she had been in a very long time.

"Seven a.m. on a Saturday morning." Mike groaned. "I could still be in bed. What are you so happy about?"

"I just had a great night, that's all. I finally asked Spencer out on a date. We went to dinner last night."

"That's awesome, Em. Why didn't you tell me before you went out last night?"

"I don't know. I was nervous, I guess. I just wanted to wait and see how everything turned out."

"So...you take her home with you last night or what?" Mike elbowed Emily in the stomach.

"No. It wasn't like that at all and I don't want it to be. Things are different with Spencer."

"You're really going soft, Em." Mike laughed.

"I'm not...it's just that, I have a chance with someone I really like. I'm not about to screw that up by trying to get her to sleep with me right now."

A moment later, Spencer walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Morning." Spencer smiled brightly as she walked over to Emily.

"Good morning." Emily leaned in and kissed Spencer. "You're up early."

"I wanted to see you."

"I think I'll just leave you two alone." Mike said. "I'll be outside."

"I think I left the blueprints for the addition in my truck, can you grab them for me?"

"No problem."

"Thanks, Mike."

Spencer watched as Mike walked out the door.

"Remind me, where were we, again?" Spencer asked as she placed her hands on Emily's shoulders.

"I think we were somewhere around here." Emily lifted Spencer's chin with her index finger until their lips met again.

Emily gently ran her hands through Spencer's hair as they kissed. When the kiss was eventually broken, Spencer found herself desperately craving more.

"You know, last night wasn't like other dates I've been on." Emily said, placing her hands on Spencer's hips.

"Why? Because we both kept our clothes on the whole time?" Spencer laughed.

"Wow. That was pretty harsh." Emily laughed. "Though not entirely untrue. It's just that I usually have a tough time opening up to people, but for some reason, it's been easy with you."

"Aw, that's sweet. Now I feel bad..."

"Don't feel bad." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer again. "But, I should probably get outside. I've got a lot of work to get done today."

"Feel free to come inside and take a break when you need it."

"Will do." Emily smiled. "I'll talk to you a little bit later."

Spencer watched as Emily turned and walked toward the door.

* * *

That afternoon, Spencer walked outside with four glasses of lemonade in her hands. She walked down the porch steps and to the side of the house. Spencer took a few moments to watch Emily with her crew. Spencer basically ignored the three shirtless men, as she was only focused on Emily in her now sweat-soaked tank top. It was unusually warm for a fall afternoon, but Spencer wasn't complaining one bit. She stared at Emily's tattoo as it glistened with sweat in the bright sunlight.

"Are you guys thirsty?" Spencer asked. "I brought lemonade."

Emily's crew practically swarmed Spencer, they each thanked her and took a glass, leaving one left for Emily.

"And here's one for you." Spencer said, looking at Emily. "You look like you could use it."

"Definitely. Thanks." Emily said as she slipped the hammer she was using back into her tool belt and took the glass from her girlfriend.

"You're welcome. Can you take a break for a few minutes?" Spencer asked as she hooked her index finger into one of the belt loops of Emily's jeans.

"Sure." Emily then turned to her crew. "Why don't you guys take a break and go get some lunch?"

"Cool. Thanks, Em." Mike said. "Come on guys, let's go get some tacos."

"Do either of you two want anything?" Chris asked, looking at Emily and Spencer.

"No thanks. We'll be fine." Spencer said. "I'll take your glasses too."

Spencer took the three empty glasses before she and Emily headed into the house.

"What do you want to eat?" Spencer asked as she placed the glasses into the dishwasher.

"What ever you have."

Spencer opened the refrigerator, then they pantry cabinets.

"Well, I guess we don't really have many options. I could make you some macaroni and cheese."

"That sounds great."

"Would you mind grabbing that box off the top shelf? I can't quite reach it."

"You got it." Emily walked over to the cabinet and took the box off of the shelf.

"So...when are your parents coming back?"

"They should be flying back here tomorrow afternoon. You're okay with not telling them right away about us dating, right? I'm not exactly sure what to say just yet."

"Spencer, I want you to tell them whenever you're ready, but for the time being, I think it would be better if we didn't tell them right away. I don't want them to fire me if they don't approve. I mean I couldn't care less about myself, but I can't do that to my guys..."

"I agree one hundred percent. I really don't know how my parents will react so I think it would be best if we didn't risk it. I definitely wouldn't want to see you get fired. Maybe I can come out to them first and then find a way to tell them about us later."

"I think that sounds like a good first step, but I don't want you to feel like you have rush yourself. It's important that you pick the right time to come out to your parents, one chance is all you get."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around Emily. "In just the short time that I've known you, you've shown me more kindness and compassion than I've ever seen in my whole life."

* * *

One week later.

It was early evening when Spencer woke up to find that she had fallen asleep on Emily's couch while watching TV.

Spencer lifted her head up off of Emily's chest and looked over at her girlfriend.

"How was your nap?" Emily smiled.

"Great. I didn't mean to fall asleep, but you just happen to make and excellent pillow."

"Good. I'm glad." Emily protectively wrapped her arms around Spencer's body and placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head.

Just as Spencer began to get comfortable in Emily's arms, she heard her phone chime. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had a new text from her mother.

"Who is it?" Emily asked.

"It's my mom. And she wants me to meet her and my dad at the country club so we can have dinner with Melissa and her fiancé. It's amazing, my parents are never around then the second I get a girlfriend they don't know about, suddenly all they want to do is spend time with me."

"Well, what do you say to just five more minutes with me before you go?" Emily said as she brushed Spencer's hair aside and gently kissed her neck.

"Can we make it ten?" Spencer sighed happily as Emily's lips grazed over the center of her throat.

Emily smiled and moved upward, planting her lips against Spencer's. Spencer closed her eyes and melted into Emily's body as the architect slowly deepened the kiss. Emily lightly brushed her tongue against Spencer's bottom lip. Spencer opened her mouth and her tongue met Emily's for the first time. Emily slowly worked her own tongue against Spencer's, dominating the kiss. A few moments later, Spencer's eyes snapped open when she heard her phone ring again. Spencer hesitantly broke the kiss, pulled her phone from her pocket and answered the call from her mother.

"Hello...yeah mom I got your message...I'm at Aria's...yes I'm leaving right now. I'll meet you at the club in a few minutes...okay. Bye."

"God." Spencer sighed as she stood up and shoved her phone back into her pocket. "I don't understand why I even have to go to this dinner, we'll just spend the whole night talking about my sister's wedding. That's all we ever do. It's so annoying. I just wish I could bring you with me. I'm really sorry that our relationship has to be so complicated."

"It's okay, Spencer. Don't worry. I knew very well that dating a client's daughter wouldn't be easy, but I weighed the options and clearly you came out on top. We won't have to keep this a secret forever."

"I guess you're right."

"Now…go to dinner, you can call me afterward and tell me all about how much fun you had." Emily said, sarcastically.

"Shut up." Spencer laughed. "You're such a jerk."

"Does that mean I don't get a kiss goodbye?" Emily mock pouted.

"You can have one, but only because you're way too cute to say no to."

"That's what I aim for." Emily smirked. "Come here." Emily reached for Spencer's hand and pulled the brunette down on top of her.

Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's.

"I really don't want to go." Spencer said, gently running her fingers over Emily's cheek.

"You can come over tomorrow after I get home from church. We can spend the whole day together."

"That sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I can't wait. Call me later."

"Okay. Bye, Em."

 


	18. Chapter 18

The next afternoon, Spencer walked out of her bedroom and was on her way to Emily's apartment when she ran into her mother.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said. "Where are you off to?"

"Oh, I uh...was just on my way over to Hanna's. Why, did you need something?"

"Your father and I are going to head over to club to play some tennis with the Thompson's. I just thought you might be interested in joining us. They have a son your age, you know."

"I know. He's in my math and history classes."

"He's pretty cute, don't you think?"

"I don't know, I guess I've never really noticed."

"You two should get to know each other better. He's really a very nice boy...and he applied to U Penn's pre-med program..."

"I see where you're going with this, but I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"If nothing else, maybe you can bring him as a date to your sister's wedding."

"Melissa's wedding isn't for like another seven months, mom."

"I know. I just want you to keep your options open."

"Can we talk about this later?" Spencer rolled her eyes. "I promised Hanna, I'd be over ten minutes ago."

"Okay. Have a good time, sweetheart."

"We will." Spencer smiled to herself as she slipped out the door.

As Spencer was getting into her car, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to read a text from Emily that she had just received.

Hey Spence,

I'm running to the grocery store, I left a key under my door mat. Let yourself in, I'll be back soon.

Spencer got into her car and took a minute to reply to the message before driving off.

* * *

When Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment, she walked up to the front door, bent down and retrieved the key from underneath the mat. Not knowing what else to do until Emily came back, Spencer walked over to the book shelf and browsed through Emily's collection of books. Spencer picked up Emily's Bible, sat down on the couch and began looking through it. It wasn't very long before Emily returned home. She walked in the door with a few grocery bags in one hand and a bouquet of one dozen long-stemmed red roses in the other. Emily looked over at the couch where she saw Spencer reading a book. Emily set the bags down on the dinning room table, concealed the roses behind her back and walked into the living room.

"Hey, Spence. What are you reading?"

Spencer looked up.

"Oh, I was just looking at your Bible. Have you read the whole thing?"

"I've read it a couple of times. You know, Catholic family...it was pretty much required reading in my house when I was growing up."

"Oh right, I forgot."

"Spencer, I know church isn't your thing and that's perfectly fine with me. You don't have to pretend to be interested to impress me."

"I've never actually read the Bible. I was just a little curious and since I had some time I thought I'd read a little bit."

"Okay. Just as long as you're doing it because you want to. I don't want you to feel obligated, I hope I'm not coming off that way..."

"You aren't. Not even a little bit. But right now I'm more interested in finding out what exactly you're trying to hide behind your back."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emily smiled.

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I would." Spencer stood up.

"Well, I just might be willing to give you what I have here, but..."

"But what?"

"You have to kiss me first."

"I think I could do that." Spencer smirked.

Spencer then leaned forward and gently planted her lips against the architect's. When the kiss was broken, Emily pulled the roses from behind her back and held them out to Spencer.

"These are for you."

"Emily, they're beautiful. Thank you." Spencer smiled and hugged her girlfriend.

"You're very welcome. Pretty flowers for a pretty girl only seems appropriate to me."

"You're so sweet. But you really didn't have to go out just to get me flowers."

"I didn't. I said I was going to the grocery store and I did. How am I supposed to cook you a nice, romantic dinner without any food?"

"You're making me dinner?"

"Yep."

"You are officially the perfect girlfriend. What are you cooking tonight?"

"How does steak and shrimp scampi sound to you?"

"That sounds great and pretty ambitious."

"Well, if there's one thing I know how to do, it's cook."

"Really?" Spencer said, with a slightly disbelieving tone.

"You're surprised that I know how to cook?"

"Well, a little. Yeah. You order out a lot, I just assumed it was because you didn't know how to cook."

"I order out a lot because I hate cooking for one person. It's boring when you're single. But, now that I have girlfriend, I'd be more than happy to cook for you."

"That would be awesome."

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily walked into the kitchen, followed by Spencer, to begin making dinner. Emily reached into the refrigerator, pulling out two New York strip steak fillets and a pound of shrimp wrapped in white paper.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"You just relax. I'll take care of everything." Emily said as she pulled some cookware from one of her cabinets.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, if all I'm doing is watching, will you at least wear an apron for me? I bet you'd look totally sexy."

"Thank you." Emily leaned forward to kiss Spencer. "And yes I will." She laughed.

Emily turned around and pulled a short, black apron off of a hook on the wall and tied it around her waist before pulling her hair back into a pony tail. Emily tuned on one of the front burners of the stove, put the steaks into a pan and turned back around to face Spencer.

"You know, I'm really not sure which you look hotter in...an apron or your tool belt."

"I personally like my tool belt better." Emily laughed. "It feels a lot more natural to me. Carpentry just comes easy to me."

"You're so good at it. I love watching you work. I remember that first morning you and your crew were working at my house. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I was so nervous to even talk to you. I never would have imagined that I'd actually get to be your girlfriend."

"I'm really glad that your friends set us up at the movies." Emily said as she picked up a small knife and began deveining the shrimp. "That really gave me the extra confidence I needed to tell you how I felt."

"I have amazing friends. We should hang out together sometime. I'd really like for them to get to know you better. I just wish we didn't have to sneak around my parents. You know, my mom tried to set me up with some guy who goes to our country club today. She kept telling me how cute he is..."

"Oh yeah? Is he better looking than I am?"

"No way. I don't think it's possible for anyone to be better looking than you are. You're gorgeous, you know."

"You flatter me." Emily smiled as she began chopping a sprig of fresh mint.

Spencer watched as Emily chopped up some parsley and some garlic, which she then combined with some olive oil and just a splash of white wine. Emily then brushed the steaks with the mixture and combined the remaining mixture with the shrimp and some bread crumbs.

"Okay, as soon as the steaks are closer to being done, I'll cook these shrimp, toss them with a little bit of pasta and we'll be ready to eat. It shouldn't be too long."

"How'd you learn to cook like this?" Spencer asked.

"My mother taught me well and what she didn't teach me, I picked up on my own. It's amazing how fast you learn things when you move sixteen hundred miles away from home. Not only do I know how to cook, I also know how to bake, sew, iron and remove stains out of practically any material, I'm a regular domestic when I want to be."

"I never would have guessed. But, I think it's totally hot that you can go out and do all of this labor intensive stuff, like build houses and then at the end of the day, you can come home, cook dinner and knit me a sweater." Spencer walked over to Emily and wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl's neck.

"Well actually, knitting's a skill I have yet to pick up." Emily laughed. "But, I might be willing to give it a shot sometime. I could probably handle it. I'm pretty good with my hands." Emily's said, placing her hands on Spencer's waist.

"I know." Spencer smiled as she pressed her lips to Emily's.

* * *

Later that evening.

"Thanks for making me dinner tonight." Spencer said as she moved over on the couch to sit on Emily's lap. "Everything was amazing."

"It was my pleasure. You want to watch some TV or something?" Emily asked as she wrapped her arms around Spencer.

"I do…but I really should get going, I've got some homework that I need to finish up for tomorrow."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you in the morning, then." Emily said, before placing a kiss on Spencer's lips as her fingers gently grazed over the brunette's thighs.

"Well, maybe I can stay for just a few more minutes." Spencer smiled as she leaned in to kiss Emily again.

"I was hoping you might say that." Emily said as she placed a light kiss on Spencer's neck.

* * *

When Spencer managed to get home, she walked into the kitchen and found a vase for the roses that Emily had given her. Spencer filled the vase with water, placed the roses inside and took them upstairs to her bedroom. Spencer set the vase down on the corner of her desk and opened one of her text books. She tried to focus on her homework, but continually found herself becoming distracted by thoughts of Emily. Spencer had been so focused on her daydream, that she didn't even hear her sister enter the room.

"Hey, Spence."

Spencer turned around to find Melissa standing in the doorway.

"Melissa? What are you doing here?"

"Mom sent me up to find out if you're hungry. We're ordering Chinese food, do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine. I already ate at Hanna's a little while ago."

"Okay."

"Is there some thing else you wanted?" Spencer asked, when Melissa didn't immediately turn to leave.

"Who are the roses from?" Melissa asked, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the door jamb.

"Oh, uh…no one…"

"No one? Come on, Spence, you must have gotten them from someone…a boyfriend, maybe?"

"No."

"Who is he? Have mom and dad met him?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, okay?"

"Are you afraid to introduce your boyfriend to mom and dad because you think dad will give him a hard time…because I've been there, it's not as bad as you think. Dad'll hate any guy you bring home at first, but he'll get over it. He wasn't that crazy about Wren when we started dating, but they've bonded and dad likes him now."

"I told you, there is no guy, Melissa. Okay? I don't have a boyfriend and I'm not looking for one either."

"I liked to play hard to get when I was in high school too. Whoever gave you those roses must really like you a lot, don't make him work too hard. Oh and you can invite him to the wedding if you want to."

Melissa then turned and walked out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

A few weeks later.

One morning Spencer came downstairs and walked outside where Emily and her crew were already working.

"Hey, Em. How are you?"

"I'm not a big fan of Mondays, but my morning just improved significantly, now that I get to see you."

"You're so sweet."

"Thanks, just don't spread it around. I need to maintain my image. My guys already think I'm going soft." Emily laughed.

"I promise not to blow your cover."

"Thank you." Emily smiled. "So...it's not that I'm not happy to see you because I definitely am, but should you be out here talking to me, right now?"

"Why wouldn't I talk to you? I always talk to you."

"I know, it's just that...your dad's car is still in the driveway, so I assume that he hasn't left for work yet..."

"I'm allowed to talk to you, my dad doesn't suspect anything."

"I guess you're right...sorry for being paranoid."

"It's okay." Spencer smiled.

A few moments later Mr. Hastings walked out of the house, where he saw Spencer from across the yard.

"Hey, Spence." Peter said, approaching his daughter. "I thought you left already."

"I'm getting ready to leave now. I just wanted to check out the addition."

"What do you say you let me drive you to school? We can stop for breakfast on the way."

"That sounds great, but I thought mom said you weren't supposed to be eating fast food."

"Your mother doesn't have to know everything, does she?" Peter said, putting his arm around Spencer's shoulder.

"I guess not." Spencer laughed.

"Good. Oh and Emily, I see you're making a lot of progress on the addition." Peter glanced over at the soon-to-be new family room and bathroom, which now had walls and a partially built roof. "I can't wait until it's finished."

"You just want somewhere to put your new giant screen TV, that you just had to buy, even after mom said no." Spencer laughed.

"In my defense, it was on sale. Who could pass up a sixty inch, HD, LED?" Peter said. "I can't wait to watch hockey on it. It'll almost feel like being at the arena. You much of a hockey fan, Emily?"

"I love hockey. I'm actually a huge Flyers fan."

"Glad to hear it." Peter patted Emily on the back.

"Speaking of the addition, whenever you have some time, I need you and your wife to choose what kind of fixtures, cabinets and counters tops you want for your bathroom. I can leave a catalogue with you if you want to get back to me."

"That would be great."

"Oh and I know we originally figured on just putting in a half bath, but it really wouldn't be much more time or work to add a stand-up shower stall."

"Really?"

"Sure, I'll even do the extra labor for free. All you'd have to do is pay for the shower kit. I can get you a pretty good deal."

"You twisted my arm. Let's do it. You know, you're a good kid, Emily. I'm lucky to have gotten you to do this project." Peter said, a little surprised by the architect's generosity.

"I believe in karma. You get back what you put in to life. Not everything has to be about money."

"Well you certainly do great work. I'll be sure to recommend you to everyone I know."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."

"I suppose we should get going, huh, Spence?" Peter said.

"Yeah. I can't be late for school, I have a test first period."

"All right. Meet me in the car. I forgot my keys on my desk. I'll be right back."

"Okay, dad."

Once Peter was out of sight, Spencer turned around to face Emily again.

"Look at you, bonding with my dad." Spencer playfully poked Emily in the stomach. "You're so cute."

"I just want to be on your dad's good side. I want him to like me."

"Thank you for being so sweet...what are you going to be doing today?"

"I'm hoping to get the rest of the roof built and shingled."

"You mean you'll be up on that ladder all day, again?"

"Yeah..."

"But you know I don't like you having to climb up there. Can't one of the guys do it instead?" Spencer tugged at Emily's tool belt.

"Spence, I'll be fine. I'm a professional, remember? Besides, I have the most roofing experience."

"Well, please be careful."

"Don't worry, I will."

"Good. I'll see you later."

Spencer placed her hand on the side of Emily's face and kissed her goodbye before turning and walking toward the driveway.

"Aren't you two just the cutest couple?" Chris teased.

"Shut up." Emily laughed.

"So, Em..." Mike said.

"So, what?" Emily said, walking over to the ladder that was leaning against the side of the building.

"You hit that yet?" Mike asked, motioning toward the car that Spencer was now getting in to.

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" Emily rolled her eyes. "I've told you a million times that we haven't."

"Just checking to see if anything changed since the last time I asked, that's all." Mike laughed.

"Dude, seriously? Spencer and I haven't even been together for that long."

"That doesn't mean anything to someone who's been known to fuck on the first and probably only date."

"Yeah, well, I'm done with that now. Everything's changed with Spencer."

"You really like her, don't you, Em?" Ben asked.

"I do. She's smart and beautiful and really sweet…she's just amazing. I honestly can't even remember the last time I was this happy."

"Look, Em, I sorry about giving you a hard time about getting involved with her before." Ben said. "You're my friend and I should have backed you up from the start. If Spencer makes you happy, you should be together, it shouldn't matter what her parents might think."

"Thanks, Ben."

"Aw, that's so nice are you guys gonna kiss now or what?" Mike joked. "Get a room."

"Fuck off." Emily laughed. "You're such a dick."

* * *

That afternoon, Spencer met Aria, Hanna and Alison in the cafeteria at lunch time.

"So...how are things going between you and Emily, Spence?" Aria asked as the girls sat down at their usual table.

"Everything's great. We spend most of our time at her apartment, but I don't mind. She likes to cook for me..."

"She cooks for you?" Hanna asked. "That's so cute and totally romantic."

"Emily's really sweet and she's so adorable, she doesn't want anyone to know how sweet she really is. She thinks I'll embarrass her in front of her friends."

"When do we get to hang out with her?" Hanna asked.

"Hopefully soon. I'd really like for her to get to know you guys. Maybe we could all hang out at her apartment some night and have dinner or watch TV or something."

"I'd like to hang out with her." Aria said. "You guys have been spending a lot of time together and I feel like we haven't really gotten the chance to know her yet."

"Why don't we hang out at your house?" Alison asked, looking at Spencer.

"You know why we can't." Spencer said.

"Haven't told your parents you're hooking up with the help, yet, huh?" Alison said, nonchalantly.

"First of all, she's a lot more than just someone who works for my family." Spencer said, defensively.

"I'm not judging, I'm just saying. At least you picked a hottie. I mean if I had to hook up with someone who works for your parents, I would have picked that guy who cleans your pool in the summer, but Emily's not a bad choice."

"Have you thought about telling your parents about your relationship?" Aria asked.

"Emily and I have talked about it and we've decided to wait to tell my parents until after she's finished working at my house."

"Do you think they'll be mad?" Hanna asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean my parents are usually pretty open-minded...but I think my mom will be easier to sway than my dad. My dad's never really liked any of the guys Melissa ever brought home, but I'm really not too sure if it'll be different since Emily's a girl..."

"I don't think it matters how open-minded your parents are." Alison said. "I think they'll probably be pretty pissed off when they find out the architect is boning their daughter."

"Emily and I aren't sleeping together. We've only been seeing each other for a month."

"So what?" Alison shrugged.

"So I'd like to date for a while before we even think about having sex."

"You're so lame." Alison rolled her eyes. "You might not have to worry about telling your parents about your relationship, Emily will probably dump your ass if you don't put out soon."

"Whatever. You don't even know what our relationship is like."

"Really. I don't see you with anyone, Alison." Hanna said. "You're just jealous that Spencer has someone who's sweet, super hot and really likes her."

"Yeah well, all I'm saying is that I kind of feel sorry for Emily. She's probably getting pretty tired of doing it with her hand. If you're not putting out, she'll just find someone else who will. I'm sure there are plenty of girls in this town who wouldn't mind sleeping with her."

"Emily likes being with me. She's never even brought up sex."

"Can't you ever just be happy for anyone, Alison?" Aria asked, glaring at the blonde. "You're always so negative."

"I'm not negative, I'm just being honest."

* * *

Later that afternoon when Spencer got home from school, the sky began pouring down rain, after threatening to do so all day long.

"Okay, guys, let's pack it up." Emily said. "We won't get much more done today in this rain."

Emily's crew quickly gathered their tools and left for the day. Once everyone was gone, Emily walked over to the porch where Spencer was standing.

"Hey. How was school?" Emily asked, leaning in to kiss Spencer.

"Not bad. You let your crew leave for the day?"

"Yeah. It's too hard to lay shingles in the rain and I'm pretty sure I saw some lightning anyway."

"Well…my parents won't be home for at least another few hours. You wanna come inside for a while?"

"What about your sister and her fiancé?"

"Wren's working the night shift at the hospital and Melissa has a late meeting. We're safe."

"Okay then."

Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand, pulling her into the house.

"What do you say you come upstairs and I'll see if I can find you a dry shirt to put on?"

"Okay."

Emily followed Spencer upstairs and into the bedroom. Spencer walked over to her dresser and pulled out a plain gray t shirt from one of the drawers.

"I think this might be a little bit snug on you, but who's complaining?" Spencer said, walking back over to Emily.

"Have you ever actually been to Hooters?" Spencer tugged at Emily's soaking wet, black Hooters restaurant t shirt.

"Yeah. I usually go with my crew, it's their favorite restaurant."

"Gee, I wonder why? What do you think?"

"It's okay, they have good food. I like the wings."

"Sure you do…liar." Spencer laughed.

"What? I like wings."

"Yeah the wings and the naked women who bring them to you."

"They aren't naked." Emily laughed. "And it's not like I go there all the time."

"You apparently go there enough that you felt the need to buy a shirt."

"I didn't buy this. A waitress gave it to me, along with her phone number." Emily smirked.

"Oh my God! You're such a jerk." Spencer laughed and playfully punched Emily in the stomach.

"What?"

"Just take this off." Spencer pulled on Emily's shirt again.

"Gladly." Emily reached down and pulled her t shirt up over her head.

Spencer couldn't help but stare at Emily's abs.

"See anything you like?" Emily asked, catching Spencer staring.

"Possibly." Spencer reached out and ran her fingertips over Emily's tight abdominal muscles.

Spencer leaned forward and kissed  
Emily. Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips as the brunette slowly slid her hands up Emily's stomach, up her chest and over the architect's bare shoulders. Emily deepened the kiss and slowly slid her tongue into Spencer's mouth. Spencer moaned into the kiss as she buried her hands into Emily's wet hair. As they kissed, neither Emily nor Spencer heard Melissa's car pull into the driveway. After a few minutes, Spencer and Emily were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

"Em, wait…"

"What's wrong?" Emily asked as she kissed Spencer's neck.

"Someone's home." Spencer quickly moved to the other side of the room and looked out the window.

"Shit, my sister's home. You have to hide. If she catches us, I know she'll tell my parents."

"Hey, Spence?" Melissa called out from down the hall. "You home?"

Emily quickly hid behind the door, just as Melissa entered the room.

"Melissa…I thought you had a meeting."

"I did, but it got canceled so I was going to work on the seating chart for the wedding, I thought I'd come see if you'd give me a hand." Melissa said, walking over to her sister.

"Oh, uh…sure." Spencer said, nervously glancing across the room at Emily.

"Great, I'll be downstairs." Melissa said, turning toward the door.

"Melissa, wait." Spencer quickly grabbed her sister's arm, turning her back toward the window.

"What's wrong?"

"I just, uh wanted you to look at a couple of colors I thought would be nice for your bridesmaid dresses."

"Oh, okay."

"Um, over here." Spencer picked up a wedding catalog off of her desk. "What do you think of this blue, here?" Spencer flipped open the catalog and pointed to a random dress.

"It's a little dark, don't you think?"

"There are some lighter colors on the next page, I think."

Spencer slowly backed over to the bed, picked up her gray t shirt.

"Do you like this light blue here?" Melissa asked as she tried to turn around again.  
"Yeah, but you have to keep looking at it." Spencer placed her hands on her sister's shoulders and turned her toward the window again.

"Are you okay, Spence?"

"I'm fine. It's just that, the more you stare at this particular dress, the better it looks. I love this one. Just keep looking at it, soak in the full effect."

Spencer turned around and tossed the shirt she was holding in Emily's direction. Emily caught the shirt and quickly fled the room. Once she was out of the room, Emily all but flew down the stairs. Once she was downstairs, Emily slipped the shirt on and headed outside.

"You know, you're right, Spence. The more I look at this dress, the more I love the color."

"I knew you would." Spencer breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where's Emily?"

"Em…Emily? I don't know, how should I know?" Spencer panicked. "Why are you asking?"

"I saw her truck outside, so I assumed she was still here."

"Well, why are you looking for her?" Spencer asked, nervously.  
"Wren accidentally put a hole in one of the living room walls when he was moving around some furniture, I just wanted to see if I could get Emily to fix it for us. Are you sure you're okay? You seem awfully jumpy today."

"I'm okay. Just a little too much caffeine, I think."

"Take it easy on the coffee." Melissa said as she walked toward the door. "I'll be out in the barn. Come over when ever you're ready."

"Okay."

Once Melissa had left the room, Spencer closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"God, that was close."

 


	20. Chapter 20

Emily was just getting into her truck when Melissa walked outside. The rain had subsided to a very light drizzle, so Melissa walked over to Emily's truck. Emily stared through the windshield at Melissa, nervous as to why the elder Hastings sister was approaching her. Emily immediately panicked, thinking that Melissa must have seen her in Spencer's bedroom. As Melissa approached the driver's side of Emily's truck, she tapped on the window. Emily swallowed the lump in her throat as she reached for the button to put her window down.

"Hi, Emily." Melissa said.

"Hi...is there um...something I can do for you, Miss Hastings?"

"It's Melissa and I hope so. Are you in a hurry to leave?"

"Not really..."

"Good. Would you come inside with me for a minute?" Melissa motioned toward the barn.

"Um, sure." Emily's voice cracked, slightly. "What's the problem?" Emily asked as she got out of her truck and began walking toward the barn with Melissa.

"Well, my fiancé was moving around some furniture in here last night and he accidentally put a hole in the wall with one of the end tables. I was hoping maybe you'd be able to fix it for us?"

"I can sure take a look at it." Emily said as she reached out and opened the door for Melissa.

"Thank you." Melissa said as she stepped inside.

Emily followed Melissa into the barn's living room.

"Over here." Melissa said.

Emily walked over to the wall and bent down to examine the damage.

"This should be pretty easy to fix, it's not too big." Emily said as she ran her fingers over the damage.

Emily stood up and looked at Melissa.

"So...uh...was there anything else you needed or..."

"No, that's all."

"Okay, I think I've got some spackling paste in my truck, I can fix it for you right now if you want."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll be right back."

Emily then walked back out to her truck, where she noticed Spencer coming out of the house.

"Em, I'm so sorry." Spencer said as she approached her girlfriend. "I swear Melissa wasn't supposed to be home until later."

"It's cool. I'm just glad we didn't get caught."

"Me too. But, you have to admit the danger of almost getting caught is kinda sexy." Spencer said as she reached out and ran her fingers though Emily's hair.

"Yeah, but having to explain a half naked architect in your bedroom, not so much."

"You're such a downer." Spencer laughed.

"Sorry." Emily fake pouted.

"Look at that puppy dog face." Spencer smiled. "You're so cute and you look great in my shirt, by the way."

"It pretty much doesn't fit me at all." Emily tugged at material.

"That's why it looks so good on you. I get to see all of your muscles." Spencer slowly slid her hand up Emily's stomach, underneath her shirt as they locked lips again.

"Hey, Spence?" Emily mumbled against Spencer's lips.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure your sister didn't see anything?"

"Positive. If she had, she would have already been all over me about it. I'm just sorry our time got cut short. I was really looking forward to spending the evening making out with you. You're a great kisser, you know."

"We can always go to my place. There's never anyone to interrupt. You want to come over?" Emily leaned back against her truck and placed her hands on Spencer's hips.

"I'd love to, but I already promised my sister I'd help her with wedding stuff. Now I have to do it."

"You can come over whenever you're done."

"Are you going home now?"

"Not yet, your sister asked me to fix a hole in her drywall. So I'm going to do that before I leave."

Emily then walked around to the back of her truck and opened the tailgate. She pulled out a small, plastic can of spackling paste and walked back over to Spencer.

"You should go inside first." Emily said. "I'll stay out here for a minute, then I'll be in to fix that hole."

"Okay."

Spencer then turned and walked toward the barn. She walked inside and sat down on the couch. Emily stood beside her truck and waited. Once she had felt that enough time had passed, Emily walked into the barn.

"So...Spence did you invite your boyfriend to the wedding yet?" Melissa asked as she sat down on the couch beside her sister.

"I don't have a boyfriend. I've told you that."

"Well, are you bringing a date?"

"I don't know, maybe. Just figure one extra person for right now, I'm sure I'll find someone to bring." Spencer said, shooting Emily a quick glance as the architect walked across the room.

Emily walked over to the wall and knelt down. She opened the can of spackling paste and laid a patch over the hole. Emily then smeared some of the paste onto a putty knife and began to cover the hole, smoothly and evenly. When she finished, Emily stood up and walked over to Spencer and Melissa.

"I patched that hole, it'll take a little bit of time for the paste to dry, but I'll sand it down when I get here tomorrow morning. And if you happen to have any paint, I can touch up that spot on the wall when I finish sanding it."

"That would be great." Melissa said, standing up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"How much do I owe you for fixing that hole?" Melissa asked as she bent down and picked up her wallet from the coffee table.

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. It was really no trouble at all."

"Thank you. My fiancés not exactly handy when it comes to home repair."

"No problem." Emily chuckled. "I should get going, oh and Spencer I just remembered, I have that catalog for your dad out in my truck."

"Oh, okay. I'll come out and get it."

"I'll be right back." Spencer said, turning toward Melissa.

"Okay."

Spencer then followed Emily outside to her truck. Emily opened the driver's side door of her truck, stepped up on the running board and reached across the seat for the catalog. Spencer watched as Emily's t shirt rode up her back. Spencer's gaze then shifted even lower.

"Checking out my ass?" Emily said, when she turned around and caught Spencer staring.

"Maybe."

"What do you think?" Emily smirked.

"I think those jeans look amazing on you." Spencer moved closer to Emily, reached around and slid her hands into the architect's back pockets as she leaned in and kissed Emily.

"Remind me to invest in some more jeans just like these." Emily smiled, before pressing her lips to Spencer's again.

"I'll take you shopping."

"Sounds good to me...but I guess I should probably let you go."

"Okay. I'll see you a little bit later. I'll try to get out of here as soon as I can."

"Take your time. If your sister needs your help, you should help her."

"I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand her."

"Why? She seems nice."

"Yeah because she hasn't gone into bridezilla mode yet. That's coming any time now, I can feel it. She's been way too nice lately."

Emily laughed.

"All right. Well, good luck. I'll see you later." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer on the cheek. "Make sure you give this to your dad, please." Emily handed Spencer the catalog that she had still been holding.

"I will. Thanks, Em."

"No problem."

Emily then got into her truck and backed out of the driveway as Spencer walked back to the barn.

* * *

A few days later, Emily's crew had gone out for a late lunch break, while Emily decided to stay behind and continue working. It was a little after three p.m. when Spencer returned home from school with Aria, Hanna and Alison. Spencer walked around to the side of the addition and opened the newly installed French doors. She stepped inside where she found Emily alone in the empty room, nailing some drywall.

"Hey." Spencer said as she walked up to her girlfriend.

"Hey, Spence." Emily turned around. "I didn't even hear you come in. How was school?"

"It was all right. Nothing too exciting." Spencer leaned forward and kissed Emily.

"How are you guys?" Emily asked looking over Spencer's shoulder at Alison, Hanna and Aria.

"We're good, thanks." Aria said.

"So...what are you doing?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, I'm just nailing some drywall."

"Too bad the drywall's the only thing getting nailed, huh Spence?" Alison said.

"Shut up." Spencer glared at Alison.

Emily looked slightly confused, but didn't respond to Alison's comment.

"Listen, Em, I've got a lot of homework to do. Can I come over later?"

"Of course you can."

"Great. I'll let you get back to work then."

Spencer and her friends headed out the doorway which joined the addition to the house. They walked through the kitchen, into the living room and upstairs to Spencer's bed room.

"Why can't you ever keep your mouth shut, Alison?" Spencer snapped as she closed the bedroom door.

"What are you talking about?"

"Like you don't know. That comment you made about nailing drywall...like that wasn't supposed to be sexual."

"Emily probably didn't even hear it."

"Seriously, Alison, I'm getting really sick of you constantly picking at my relationship with Emily. It's getting old."

"God. Chill out, I was just kidding."

"Well, I don't think it's funny."

"Geez, stop being so overly sensitive to every little thing." Alison said as she sat down on the bed and pulled a magazine out of her book bag.

* * *

Later that evening, when Spencer and Emily had finished having dinner at Emily's apartment, Spencer found herself sitting on the couch with her back pressed tightly to Emily's chest. This was a position that Spencer was often finding herself in the past few weeks and it was most definitely a position that she had grown to love very much. Emily's strong arms wrapped around her body made Spencer feel protected, but Spencer also loved the way Emily's gentle hands caressed her skin.

"Thanks for dinner tonight." Spencer said.

"You're welcome. I told you, I love to cook. Just tell me what you want and I'll make it."

Spencer smiled as she shifted her position on the couch to look at her girlfriend. Spencer leaned over and pressed her lips to Emily's. Spencer closed her eyes as she felt Emily's hands slip down to the small of her back. Emily deepened the kiss and brushed her tongue against Spencer's bottom lip. Spencer happily opened her mouth, allowing Emily to slip her tongue inside. Spencer buried her hands into Emily's thick, dark hair as their kiss became more and more heated by the moment.

"Em..." Spencer moaned into the kiss as she felt Emily's hands travel around to the front of her body and slowly slide up her chest.

Spencer could feel her own nipples straining against her bra as Emily's hands gently caressed her breasts through her shirt. After a few more moments, Emily broke the kiss and traveled lower to kiss Spencer's neck. Spencer groaned softly and leaned her head back as Emily's lips connected with the center of her throat. Emily then began gently sucking on Spencer's pulse point, which sent shock waves directly to the brunette's core. Spencer then lifted Emily's chin until their lips met again. As they kissed, Spencer's hands wandered downward and slowly undid the buttons on Emily's shirt. When she reached the last one, Spencer slid her hands up Emily's stomach, letting her fingers glide over the architect's very well-developed abdominal muscles. Emily slid her tongue back into Spencer's mouth. Without breaking the kiss, Emily laid down on the couch, pulling Spencer down on top of her. Spencer pulled away from Emily for only a brief moment to take in some much needed oxygen. Spencer then placed both of her hands on either side of Emily's face and passionately kissed her again. Emily snaked her free hand up Spencer's back and underneath her shirt. Just as Emily reached to undo the hooks on Spencer bra, Spencer pulled away.

"Em, wait..." Spencer leaned back and placed her hand on Emily's chest. "I can't..."

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I thought you wanted..." Emily panicked as she sat up.

"It's my fault, Em. I think I got carried away. I...uh...have something I need to tell you, but it's embarrassing..."

"Spencer, you know you can tell me anything." Emily said, confidently, though she was a little nervous, not knowing what Spencer had to say.

"You promise not to make fun of me?"

"Of course I won't make fun of you. What is it?" Emily reached out and tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear.

"I'm a virgin." Spencer blushed. "I mean I really like you and everything and I think I want to have sex, but I'm just not quite ready to go there with you yet."

"Spence, being a virgin isn't anything to be embarrassed about."

"It's just that none of my friends are and you have a lot more experience...then Alison keeps saying that if I don't start putting out, you'll dump me and find someone else who will..."

"No. That's absolutely not going to happen. If you're not ready to sleep with me, I completely respect that. We can wait...as long as you need, I'm not going anywhere."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I'm really sorry if I made you feel like we were moving too fast. It's just that you've been really aggressive lately when we make out, then Alison made that comment today when I was hanging drywall. I just assumed it was a shot at me because you wanted to go further and I hadn't made a move on you."

"That comment definitely wasn't directed at you, it was a dig at me. Are you sure you're okay with waiting?"

"I'm fine with it. I'm happy with the way things are going. Sex can wait, I want you to be comfortable and absolutely sure before we take that next step, so you're gonna have to make the first move because I won't, okay? It's up to you."

"Thank you for being so understanding." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her.

"Let's promise to not listen to other people and just be open with each other."

"That sounds good to me. So…do you think we can still cuddle for awhile before I have to leave?"

"Sure we can." Emily said as she began to re button her shirt.

"Wait. Leave your shirt open. Just because we're not having sex doesn't mean I can't at least look."

"You got it." Emily smiled as she placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder and pulled her closer.

Emily picked up the remote and turned on the TV as Spencer laid her head on the architect's chest.

 


	21. Chapter 21

It was just after midnight that evening when Spencer slowly opened her eyes, realizing that she and Emily had both fallen asleep. Spencer glanced down at her watch, realizing how late it had gotten.

"Em, wake up." Spencer turned her body and gently shook Emily's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked, groggily as she wrapped her arms tighter around Spencer's body, pulling her closer.

"It's late...we fell asleep."

"What time is it?"

"A little after midnight...I should probably get home."

"How about just a few more minutes?" Emily gently kissed Spencer's neck.

"I think I can stay for just a little bit longer..." Spencer closed her eyes and groaned softly as Emily continued kissing her.

"Do you have any plans for Saturday night?" Emily asked.

"Not yet. Why? Do you have something planned for us?"

"I was hoping that I could take you out to dinner."

"I'd love that."

"Great. I was thinking we could head to Philly for the evening. Where do you want to eat?"

"I'm thinking somewhere romantic."

"How about that French place downtown?"

"I love that place, but it's kind of impossible to get reservations there."

"I think we'll be okay. I can get in whenever I want."

"Really? How?"

"I designed the building."

"You did?"

"Yep. It was one of the first projects I got hired to work on when I moved here from Texas. I mean I had to subcontract some of the actual building work because it was too big of a project for my guys and I to handle, but the design is all mine."

"That's awesome."

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun on that project."

"Because you love your job?"

"That and I was hooking up with the hot interior designer I was working with at the time. She was fresh out of design school in Paris. The restaurant owners wanted a really authentic feel to the restaurant, so they hired a French interior decorator."

Spencer turned around and stared at Emily.

"Do you really think it's smart too talk about exs with your current girlfriend?" Spencer feigned irritation.

"We didn't date or anything. Once the project was done, we went our separate ways. Neither of us wanted a relationship."

"Just casual sex." Spencer rolled her eyes. "Remind me again why exactly it is that I'm dating you?"

"I'll show you."

Emily turned Spencer's head and gently pressed her lips to the brunette's. Emily opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, gently slipping her tongue into Spencer's mouth. Spencer moaned into the kiss as Emily slowly began to massage Spencer's tongue with her own. The brunette placed her hand on Emily's bare stomach as the kiss became even more heated. When Emily eventually broke the kiss, Spencer found herself desperately craving more.

"Was that a good enough reason?" Emily asked.

"God, you're so lucky you're sexy...but if you ever cheat on me..."

"Spencer, I'd never do that to you. Okay? I promise you, I've been one hundred percent faithful in every relationship I've ever been in and I'd be a total idiot to blow a chance with you. Girls like you don't come along every day. I'm lucky to be with you."

"I feel like I'm lucky to have you too. I think we're good together."

Emily smiled and placed a light kiss on Spencer's forehead.

"You should probably be getting home. I don't want your parents to be worried about you."

"Now I don't want to go..."

"I don't want you to either, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay..."

Spencer stood up, pulling Emily up with her.

"Here's your coat." Emily picked up Spencer's coat from the arm of the couch and held it out for the brunette to slip on.

"Thanks, Em." Spencer turned around and kissed her girlfriend. "I'll see you in the morning."

Spencer started to walk toward the door.

"Text me when you get home." Emily said. "I want to know that you got there safely."

"I will. Don't worry."

Spencer slipped out the door and headed to her car.

* * *

Upon returning home from Emily's apartment, Spencer unlocked the back door, slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind her. Spencer took her jacket off and hung it on one of the coat hooks near the door before stepping into the kitchen. Spencer pulled her phone out and began typing a message to Emily.

"Hey, kiddo. You're home late." Peter said as he closed the refrigerator door after settling on a snack.

Spencer was too focused on texting Emily that she was slightly startled by the sound of her father's voice, as she hadn't noticed him in the kitchen when she walked in.

"Oh...hi dad...what are doing?"

"Just getting myself a little midnight snack before I head upstairs. You want something?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks."

"Where have you been all night?" Peter asked, casually.

"I was...uh...studying over at Aria's house. I guess we just lost track of time. We've got a huge history test coming up."

"I'm glad you're so focused on school, but try not to push yourself too hard. You need rest too, you know."

"I know. I think I'm going to head up to bed. Oh, but I almost forgot, Emily left this for you." Spencer reached into her bag and pulled out the catalog Emily had given her.

"Thanks. Maybe you can help your mother and I decided on what would look good in the bathroom."

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Great."

"Well…I'll be upstairs. Night, dad."

"Goodnight, Spence."

* * *

A few days later.

Early Saturday morning, Emily arrived at the Hastings' house a little earlier than usual. She was just getting out of her truck when she noticed Peter walking toward her in his jogging attire.

"Hi, Emily." Peter said.

"Mister Hastings...how are you?"

"Oh fine, just heading out for an early morning run. My wife thinks I need to exercise more. You're not married, are you?"

"No, sir."

"You're lucky. Stay single. Wives are such a hassle sometimes, always nagging you to eat healthier and exercise and they're always trying to pick out your clothes..."

Emily laughed.

"I'm sure missus Hastings just wants you to eat well and stay in shape because she wants you around for a long time."

"I guess so...anyway, you're here pretty early this morning."

"Yeah, I wanted to get a head start because I was hoping to maybe leave a little early today, if that's okay with you, of course."

"Sure. You've put in a lot of long hours lately, I don't see any harm in letting you get out of here a little early."

"Thanks a lot, mister Hastings. I really appreciate it. Normally I wouldn't ask, but I sort of have plans tonight."

"Oh yeah? You have a date tonight?"

"Actually, yes."

"Must be a pretty lucky girl to get to go out with a successful, young architect like yourself."

"I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure that I'm lucky to have even gotten a date with her in the first place."

Peter smiled softly at Emily.

"You're too hard on yourself. Go ahead and leave whenever you need to." Peter said. "I probably won't be here. I've got some work to do down at my office."

"Thanks again, mister Hastings."

"You're welcome. I should really get going on my run, but here's to hoping you don't have a room mate, if things go well for you tonight." Peter chuckled and raised his water bottle to Emily.

"Thanks. But I don't think it'll be like that, tonight." Emily laughed.

"One can always hope, I guess." Peter laughed. "I'll see you later, Emily."

"Have a good run."

"Thanks." Peter said as he jogged down the driveway.

Emily turned around and ran her hand through her hair.

_I'm sure you'd have a different opinion of me if you knew it was your daughter._  Emily thought.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

"So, Em where are you taking Spencer tonight?" Mike asked.

"We're going to that French place in downtown Philadelphia. You know, the one we worked on."

"Cool. You know there's a motel right next door. Maybe tonight can finally be the night you get lucky." Mike elbowed Emily.

"Okay, first of all, I'd never take Spencer to a cheap motel and she wants to wait to have sex anyway."

"Why's that?" Chris asked.

"She admitted to me that she's a virgin and she's not ready yet."

"Her being a virgin might actually be good for you, Em." Mike said. "I mean when you do have sex with her, you wouldn't even have to be good. She won't know any better."

"Thanks for the encouragement, dude." Emily laughed.

"I'm surprised she's never had sex." Chris said. "She's hot and no one waits anymore. She'll sleep with you eventually, why bother waiting?"

"Not all hot girls are sluts." Emily said. "Spencer and I talked and her first time seems to be important to her. I know guys usually want to lose their virginity as soon as possible, but it's different for most girls. It usually means a lot more to them. That's why I'm not going to rush Spencer into something she's not ready for or comfortable with. I told her I'm fine with waiting."

"Are you really okay with waiting?" Ben asked. "You must have at least thought about sleeping with her."

"Of course I've thought about it, but when I told her I was fine with waiting I honestly meant it. Spencer's a lot more important to me than sex and it already means a lot that she wants her first time to be with me. We don't need to rush it…besides, I think, I'm...falling in love with her..."

"You haven't told her that, have you?" Mike asked.

"Well no, I mean not yet, anyway. I've been trying to sort my feelings out and the only other person I've ever felt this way about was Stephanie...I just don't want to freak Spencer out or scare her off by saying 'I love you' too soon."

"I had no idea you felt this strongly about Spencer." Chris said.

"I do. It's hard to explain. We've just really connected. She just genuinely seemed to care about me since we first met. I know she's not interested in me for money or sex…I feel like we've known each other forever. I feel like I can tell her anything."

"So you guys are getting pretty serious, then..." Mike said.

"Yeah. I think we are."

"Have you told her about your history with Stephanie?" Chris asked.

"Not yet..."

"Em, you were almost married to her. You guys practically had a baby together." Ben said. "If you and Spencer are going to be a serious couple, don't you think you should tell her?"

"Yes. I absolutely agree with you. And I am going to tell her, eventually. I just haven't found the right time yet."

"You just probably shouldn't wait too long." Chris said. "It'll only make it harder."

"You're right. I know I should have told her from the beginning, but I was afraid she'd think I had too much emotional baggage."

"If you guys care about each other, like I think you do, you'll be fine." Ben said.

"Thanks. I think I'm going to head out for the day. I need to go home and shower before Spencer I go to dinner."

"Does that mean we get to leave too?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, you guys can go too."

"I love that you have a girlfriend now." Mike said.

"Yeah well...I expect all of you here bright and early Monday morning. I don't want to hear excuses." Emily said as she began packing up her tools.

Once Emily had loaded her tools into the truck and her crew had gone for the day, she walked up the porch stairs to the house and rang the door bell. After a minute or so, Spencer came downstairs.

"Hey, Spence. I'm just getting ready to go home. I need to shower and change clothes."

"Can I come get ready over at your place? I'm not sure when my parents are getting home. They'll be suspicious if they see me leaving all dressed up."

"Sure, you can come over."

"Great. I just need to go grab my dress and my shoes and we can go."

"Okay. I'll be in my truck."

Spencer ran up to her bedroom grabbed a garment bag and shoved her dress and shoes into it, along with a few other items. She then went back downstairs and headed out to Emily's truck.

* * *

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower." Emily said as she walked into her bedroom and pulled her shirt off.

"I'll come with you." Spencer smirked.

"In the shower? No."

"Why not?" Spencer pouted. "We could have fun."

"You don't want your first time to be in the shower. Believe me, shower sex is totally overrated. It's cramped and awkward."

"Fine." Spencer frowned.

"No…don't give me that sad puppy dog face." Emily said. "I'm looking out for you. If we do it now, you'll regret it the second after we're done. I know you will. Take it from someone who's first time was less than incredible."

"What happened? What was bad about it?"

"I was just way too young. It wasn't that long after I came out to my parents. I was sixteen and I liked the girl I was dating, but we just rushed into everything too fast. It was her first time too and the whole thing happened so fast, it was over almost as fast as it started. And that's not something you get a redo on. I just don't want you to have the same experience that I had. I know nothing can ever be perfect, but I want our first time together to be close to it as possible."

"Thank you for caring about me." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tightly.

"Spence…I…I…" Emily pulled back and stared into Spencer's eyes.

Emily wanted to tell Spencer that she loved her, but as hard as she tried, the architect just couldn't get the words out.

"You what?"

"Uh, nothing, never mind…I just totally forgot what I was going to say."

"If you remember, let me know." Spencer smiled as she placed her hand on Emily's chest.

"Okay."

"Will you at least leave the bathroom door unlocked so I can wash my face and do my hair?"

"Sure. Just give me a minute to get in the shower first."

Emily then disappeared into the bathroom. After a few minutes, Spencer entered the bathroom. She wiped the steam off of the mirror with her hand and began to wash her face. As Spencer was washing her face she heard Emily's phone begin ringing from the bedroom.

"Hey, Em. I think your phone's ringing. You want me to see who it is?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Emily said, poking her head out of the shower.

Spencer picked up the phone from Emily's dresser and saw that the call was from Mrs. Fields.

"Em, it's your mom." Spencer called out.

"Can you answer it?" Emily replied. "See what she wants."

"Okay." Spencer called out before answering Emily's phone.

"Hi missus Fields, this is Spencer."

"Hello, sweetheart, how are you doing?"

"I'm great. How about you?"

"Just fine, thanks."

"Emily's in the shower right now, but I can have her call you back when she gets out."

"It's all right, I didn't need anything important, I was just checking in with her. It's been a while since we've talked. I can talk to her tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Do you two have plans for tonight?"

"Actually, we do. Emily's taking me to this great French place in the city."

"The one she built?"

"That's the one. I've been there before with my parents. It's a beautiful restaurant."

"It certainly is. My Emily does wonderful work...but I suppose I should let you go. Make sure Emily is on her best behavior this evening. I expect her to be nothing less than sweet and polite. If she isn't, you let me know."

"You don't have anything to worry about. Emily's always very sweet and perfectly polite."

"I'm glad to hear it. You girls have a good night. Tell Emily I'll call her tomorrow after church."

"I will."

"Thank you, sweetheart. It was nice talking to you."

"You too."

Spencer ended the call, set Emily's phone back on the dresser and walked back into the bathroom.

"What did my mom want?"

"Nothing much, just checking in with you. She said she'd call you tomorrow after church."

"Okay, cool."

When Emily finished in the shower, she pulled her towel down off of the shower rod, wrapped it around her body and stepped out. Emily picked up her clothing from the floor and walked past Spencer and into the bedroom to get dressed.

A few moments later, Spencer entered the bedroom. Emily, who was now wearing a bra with her towel wrapped low around her waist, turned to face Spencer.

"Damn it. You're still wearing a towel."

"You were expecting to see me naked?"

"Well, yeah. I was hoping to."

"We just talked about how we shouldn't have sex yet, didn't we?"

"I was just hoping to get a little preview of the merchandise. I'm capable of looking without touching. I'm just interested in checking out what I have to look forward to.

"I guess no one properly explained the whole homosexuality thing to you." Emily chuckled. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, darlin,' but you're not gonna find anything I have that you don't."

"Well, obviously." Spencer rolled her eyes. "But, you still have a ridiculously hot body. You have way more muscles than I do." Spencer reached out and placed her hand on Emily's stomach, just above her belly button.

"You like that, huh?" Emily smirked.

"Who wouldn't? I know you own a mirror, do you ever look in it?" Spencer asked as she slid her hands over Emily's shoulders and leaned forward to kiss the architect.

Emily placed her hands on Spencer's waist and pulled her closer. As they kissed, Spencer's hands slowly wandered downward as she reached for Emily's towel, but she was quickly stopped by the architect, pulling her hands back upward.

"Damn." Spencer mumbled into the kiss. "So close."

Emily broke the kiss to look at Spencer.

"Relax, hot pants..." Emily laughed. "You know, for being a virgin, you're kind of a horn dog."

"I'm sorry. I'm just anxious."

"Don't worry so much. The right time will come along, eventually. And when it does, you'll be glad we waited. Trust me. Our first time together will be amazing."

"Amazing? So you're good in bed?"

"I've never had any complaints...now, you need to leave so I can get dressed."

Emily placed her hands on Spencer's shoulders and turned her around, toward the door.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving."

"As soon as I'm done, you can get dressed in here."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Oh and Spencer, don't make me lock this door." Emily gently squeezed Spencer's shoulders, before ushering her out the door.

"I'll try to have some self control." Spencer said, turning around to look at Emily before exiting the room. "But, it won't be easy."  
"You'll manage." Emily kissed Spencer before closing the door behind her.

Emily then walked over to her closet to search for something to wear.

* * *

"Hey, Spence are you almost ready to go?" Emily called out from the living room. "We've only got an hour and a half until our reservation."

Emily walked over to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Spence, can I come in?"

"You can come in."

Emily opened the bedroom door to find Spencer standing in front of the mirror on Emily's dresser, touching up her mascara. Spencer had on a tastefully short dark blue, form fitting dress adorned with Swarovski crystals around the neck line. Emily was stopped dead in her tracks as she looked Spencer up and down.

"I'll be ready to go in just a second." Spencer put the finishing touches on her make up and turned to face Emily.

"Do you like the dress?" Spencer asked.

"I love it. You look beautiful, Spence."

"Thank you." Spencer walked over to Emily and kissed her.

Just as Spencer was about to pull away, Emily captured her lips in a second kiss. Emily tangled her fingers into Spencer's hair.

"You're gonna mess up my hair." Spencer mumbled into the kiss.

"Sorry." Emily pulled away and looked at her girlfriend.

"It's okay. You're more than welcome to ruin my hair and make up after dinner if you want to."

Emily smiled softly at Spencer.

"You ready to go?" Emily asked.

"Ready if you are."

Emily reached down and took Spencer's hand as they walked toward the bedroom door.

 


	22. Chapter 22

When they arrived at the restaurant that evening, Emily left her car with the valet and walked inside with her girlfriend. The pair walked over to the hostess' podium and were promptly shown to their table. Emily stepped behind Spencer and slipped the brunette's, thin cardigan sweater off of her shoulders and hung it on the back of Spencer's chair.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled at Emily. "Would you mind if I went to the restroom?"

"Not at all. Go ahead."

"I'll be right back."

"I'll be here." Emily smiled.

Spencer walked across the restaurant and pushed open the bathroom door, disappearing inside.

"Are you alone tonight?" A waitress asked, approaching Emily's table.

The waitress had a thick French accent, but luckily for Emily she spoke perfect English.

"No, my girlfriend will be back in just a minute."

"Okay, great...can I get you something to drink while you wait for her? A glass of wine, perhaps."

"A glass of red wine would be great. Thank you."

"Certainly. I'll be back in just a moment. But here's a menu for you to look over."

"Thank you."

Spencer looked into the mirror and began fussing with her hair. She smoothed it out, flipped it over her shoulder and moved it all to one side. As Spencer continued fixing her hair, the bathroom door opened and a short-dark haired girl walked in. Spencer didn't pay much attention, as she was too focused on her own reflection.

"Spencer?" The girl said. "I thought that was you I saw in the lobby."

Spencer turned to see Mona Vanderwaal standing beside her.

"Hi...Mona. How are you?"

"Fine. Besides the fact that it's family dinner night and there are a million other places I'd rather be." Mona said, pulling a tube of lipstick from her purse. "Your family drag you here too?"

"No. I'm actually on a date, tonight."

"Anyone I know?" Mona looked into the mirror as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick to her lips.

"I don't think so."

"Who is he? Is he cute?"

"He's actually a she; I'm here with my girlfriend and yes, she's very cute."

"Girlfriend, huh? That tall, built, dark-haired girl you were with in the lobby? Is that her?"

"That's Emily." Spencer nodded.

"Wow. That gorgeous piece of eye candy belongs to you?"

"I wouldn't say she belongs to me, exactly. But, we've been dating for a little over a month."

"I didn't even know you were gay."

"Not many people do...I've been meaning to come out, but I haven't really had the chance yet. Emily and I are kind of trying to lay low for the time being anyway."

"Why? Sweetie, if she was mine, I'd be telling everybody." Mona replaced the lid on her lipstick and looked over at Spencer. "Tall, dark and handsome. Everything I'm looking for in a guy and you've got it in this girl. You're lucky. Why are you keeping her a secret?"

"It's complicated."

"What's complicated about it? I really don't think anyone will have a problem with you being gay. And if they do, screw 'em. Who cares what people think. Are you worried about your parents?"

"Yeah, but it's not about being gay...I really don't care who knows that I like girls, it's just that, my parents can't find out that Emily and I are together, at least not yet."

"Why not?"

"Emily's a little bit older than I am..."

"And by older you mean..."

"She's twenty three."

"That's not bad. So you're into older women. It's actually kinda hot, I think. Your parents will get over the age difference, eventually."

"It's not only the age thing..."

"She's not like fresh out of prison or something, is she?"

"No, not at all. It's nothing like that. She's sort of working for my family. That's how we met. She's an architect and she's one of the people remodeling my house. It started out as just harmless flirting back and forth while she worked and everything just sort of snowballed from there."

"So you're afraid your parents won't approve because she's probably not the country club type?"

"Well, yeah. But, Emily's good to me and I'm going to be with her regardless of what my parents think, we just need to keep it a secret until she's done working at my house. I don't want my dad to flip out and fire her, so please don't say anything to anyone. You're the only one who knows other than Aria, Hanna and Alison."

"Your secret's safe with me, Spencer. Now you better get back out there. You don't wanna keep Emily waiting, now do you?"

"No, I don't. Let's go."

"So...do I get to meet her?" Mona asked.

"Um, sure. If you want to, I guess you can."

Mona and Spencer walked back though the restaurant together. Emily looked up and saw Spencer approaching the table with another girl.

"Hey, Em. This is Mona, she's good friends with Hanna and we go to school together."

Emily stood up from the table and extended her hand to Mona.

"Hi, I'm Emily. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Emily asked.

"Oh, no. I'm sure you two wanna be alone. I wouldn't ruin your date. Besides, I'm here with my parents, anyway."

"I should probably get back to them, but it was really nice meeting you. Have a good night." Mona turned and began walking across the restaurant toward her own table.

"Sorry, I took so long." Spencer said. "I ran into Mona in the bathroom."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're back. For a minute I thought you might be trying to ditch me."

"I'd never ditch you."

"Good. Here, let me get your chair for you." Emily kissed Spencer on the cheek and pulled her chair out for her.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled. "You're too cute."

Emily smiled as she moved back over to her own seat.

A moment later, the waitress approached the table again and handed Spencer a menu.

"Good evening. May I get you something to drink?"

"I'll just have ice water, please."

"Okay. I'll bring some right over."

"So...this menu is entirely in French." Emily said. "I'm not really all that familiar with the language. Would you mind helping me out?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Thanks, I've never studied French. I'm pretty good with Spanish though."

"Are you? Did you study it in high school or college?"

"College. I had to take a language to graduate and after living in Texas for a few years, I was already semi-fluent."

The waitress returned a moment later and set Spencer's water down on the table.

"I'll give you two some time to decide. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay, thank you." Emily said.

Emily then looked down at her menu.

"I'm like totally lost." Emily said. "I'm just glad the staff speaks English."

"Well what do you usually order when you come here?" Spencer asked.

"I've actually never eaten here before."

"You designed the building and can get a reservation whenever you want, but you've never had dinner here?"

"Not even once. I've never had a girl I wanted to bring as a date, until now."

Spencer couldn't help but smile to herself.

"Hey, Spence, what are 'des civelles?'" Emily asked, struggling a little with the pronunciation.

"Keep looking. You won't like that." Spencer said. "They're baby eels. It kind of looks like spaghetti."

"People actually eat that?"

"It's really not as bad as it sounds." Spencer laughed. "But, I'm somewhat of an adventurous eater. I'll try almost anything once."

"I don't think I'd be that brave. Ever."

"You're just used to more traditional American meat and potatoes type meals, I think. I'm sure that's mostly what your mom fed you growing up. Am I right?"

"Yep. In Texas, we ate steak and that was good enough for us."

Spencer laughed.

"Look under the section at top of the menu on the second page that says, 'plats principaux' those are the main courses. You should be fine with anything that says, 'boeuf,' 'poulet' or 'porc.'"

"I assume that means beef, chicken and pork?" Emily asked.

"Uh huh. And 'poisson' is fish."

Emily glanced down at the menu and looked it over.

"What is bœuf…bourguignon?" Emily asked.

"You'd like that. It's a kind of beef stew. They cook the meat in red wine and usually serve with vegetables."

"That sounds good. I think that's what I'll get."

"Want me to help you pick out an appetizer too?" Spencer asked, reaching across the table and placing her hand on top of Emily's.

"Sure. That'd be great."

* * *

"So...how do you like the food?" Spencer asked.

"It's great. The meat is so tender and you can really taste wine. It's delicious."

"Here. Try some." Emily said, lifting a chunk of beef across the table to Spencer's mouth.

"That's really good." Spencer said. "Maybe you could try cooking something like this sometime."

"I could sure give it a shot."

"Thanks for bringing me here tonight, Em. I'm having a great time with you."

"I'm having a great time with you too. Thanks for helping me out with the French."

"No problem. I've taken French since junior high, it's nice to get to use it."

When Emily and Spencer had finished their dinner, the waitress brought over the check.

"I'll get this." Spencer said.

"No, you won't. I'll get it." Emily said, picking up the check booklet.

"Can I at least pay some?" Spencer asked. "It's expensive, I don't want to spend all of your money."

"I'd never let you pay for dinner. I make a good living. It's no big deal." Emily pulled her wallet out of her pants pocket and slipped her bank card into the slot of the leather booklet.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Emily stood up and leaned across the table to kiss Spencer.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

* * *

"Do you want to go back to my place to change before I take you home?" Emily asked, glancing over at Spencer in the passenger seat as they arrived back in Rosewood.

"My parents aren't home. I texted my mom .She said, she and dad are at the country club. They won't be home until late, so we can just go over to my house."

"Okay."

After a few minutes, Emily pulled up to the Hastings' driveway.

"Good. Melissa isn't home either." Spencer said, noticing her sister's car wasn't in the driveway. "You wanna walk me to the door?"

"I'd love to." Emily turned into the driveway and parked beside Spencer's SUV before shutting the car's engine off.

Emily got out of her car and walked around to the passenger's side. She opened Spencer's door and extended her hand downward to help the brunette out. Emily and Spencer walked hand in hand to the front door.

"I seriously had the best time with you tonight." Spencer said. "And you look totally cute in this sweater too. I love you in argyle." Spencer patted Emily's stomach.

"Thanks." Emily smiled as she placed her hands on Spencer's hips. "You know, you look absolutely beautiful, tonight, Spencer." Emily reached up and gently brushed a lock of Spencer's hair away from her face.

Emily then leaned down and captured Spencer's lips with her own. Spencer slowly slid her hands up Emily's chest and tangled her fingers into the architect's hair. As they kissed, neither Emily nor Spencer saw Melissa coming out of the barn. Melissa noticed a car in the driveway that she didn't recognize, but assumed it belonged to one of Spencer's friends. Melissa closed the barn door behind her and began walking across the yard. Only then did she glance up, where she saw her younger sister standing on the front porch, in a lip lock with the family's twenty three year old architect. Melissa's eyes widened and she was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight.

"You wanna come over tomorrow?" Emily asked, once the kiss was broken.

"Sure. How about sometime tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'll call you when I get home from church."

"Okay, but make sure you call your mom first. I don't want her to think I'm taking her baby away from her."

"Don't worry, I'll call her." Emily smiled. "I guess I should get home...goodnight, Spence." Emily leaned in and pressed her lips to the brunette's one more time.

"Goodnight."

Emily then turned and walked down the porch stairs. Melissa quickly stepped behind Spencer's SUV, to avoid being seen by Emily. Spencer sighed happily as she watched Emily's car back out of the driveway and speed off into the night.

 


	23. Chapter 23

Once Emily's car was out of sight Spencer turned and went into the house. She walked upstairs, though she was still feeling slightly weak in the knees. Spencer flopped down on the bed and sighed happily as she replayed the evening over and over in her mind. A few minutes later, Spencer heard a knock at the bedroom door. She sat bolt upright on the bed.

"Hold on a second. " Spencer called out. "I'm changing."

Spencer scrambled to her feet and kicked her heels off into the closet. She struggled to get her dress off, but when she finally did, Spencer threw it into the closet as well. She then made a beeline for her dresser where she grabbed a pair of shorts and a t shirt and quickly slipped them on.

"Okay. You can come in now." Spencer dove back onto her bed and opened her laptop.

Melissa opened the door and stepped inside.

"Melissa?" Spencer said. "Did you just get home?"

"No, actually I've been in the barn all night, looking at wedding catalogs."

"But, your car wasn't in the driveway." Spencer immediately panicked.

"I know. Wren drove it to work, his car is at the repair shop until tomorrow. Where were you tonight? I mean you are just getting home, aren't you? I thought I heard a car in the driveway and yours hasn't moved all evening."

"I was over was over at Hanna's. She dropped me off a few minutes ago, that's probably the car you heard." Spencer said, calmly.

"Probably. I guess that was also Hanna you were making out with on the front porch then?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Spencer said, faking confusion.

"I think you do...why don't you explain to me exactly why it is that you were kissing our architect."

At this point, Spencer knew she was in too deep and might as well confess.

"Look, Melissa, the truth is...Emily and I have been seeing each other, okay? There are you happy?"

"Are you crazy? She's way too old for you…"

"She's only twenty three. It's not that much older."

"She's my age, Spencer. How long has this been going on?"

"We started dating about a month ago."

"Are you having sex with her?" Melissa asked, utilizing the most serious tone Spencer had ever heard coming from her sister.

"No!" Spencer answered quickly. "I've never had sex with her, I'm still a virgin. But, even if Emily and I were having sex, it's not anyone else's business." Spencer said, defensively. "I'm eighteen, I can do what I want."

"Okay. You're right. You're an adult, you can make your own decisions." Melissa said as she sat down on the bed next to her sister. "But you realize if dad finds out you guys are dating, he'll kill you...if he doesn't kill Emily first."

"You can't tell, Melissa. Please. I don't ask you for much. Promise me you won't say anything. Just until Emily's done working here, I don't want to get her fired..."

"Relax. I won't say anything. It's not my place to tell mom and dad."

"Thank you." Spencer said, gratefully. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"How did you and Emily end up getting together, anyway? Did she hit on you?"

"Not really. Everything was kind of mutual. We started out just talking a lot, I mean she's been here pretty much every day. We started getting to know each other and everything sort of went from there. But I never actually thought things would go beyond flirting."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you were gay?"

"Why would I? We haven't really been all that close these last few years, Melissa. Besides mom and dad, you're probably the last person I would have ever told. I thought you'd make fun of me."

"I would never make fun of you or anyone else for being gay. You should know me better than that. You could have talked to me. I wish you would have."

"I didn't really even know for sure myself, until recently. I mean I was always questioning, but Emily was really easy for me to talk to. She helped me figure things out..."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'm glad you were able to talk to someone, at least."

"Now that this is all out in the open, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"What do you think about Emily? Honestly."

"Obviously, I don't know her as well as you do, but I think I understand why you're attracted to her. She's cute and she seems nice enough. You're just lucky I was the one who caught you guys. If dad came home to find Emily with her tongue shoved down your throat, she probably wouldn't have a job come Monday morning."

"So...you think mom and dad are going to be mad when we do tell them?"

"Not about you being interested in women. I think they're pretty open-minded about that sort of thing, but I think you and Emily dating is another issue entirely. I don't think dad is going to be too thrilled to find out someone he hired is hooking up with you."

"That's what I'm afraid of...I wish things didn't have to be so complicated. I just don't want dad to be angry at Emily. She doesn't deserve that. She's been nothing but sweet and kind to me since the day I met her."

"You like her a lot, don't you?"

"You have no idea, Melissa. I've never met anyone like her. I love going out with her. She's perfect. Like tonight she took me to a beautiful dinner in the city, she holds my hand, opens doors for me and pulls out my chair and everything."

"Maybe you can get Wren to take a few lessons from her. I love him and everything, but he hasn't exactly been very romantic lately..."

"I'll see what I can do." Spencer laughed.

"I can't believe that all along Emily has been the secret 'boyfriend,'" Melissa made air quotes. "You've been hiding from everyone. Does anyone besides me know?"

"Just a few of my friends and Emily's parents."

"And her parents are okay with everything?"

"Yeah, but it's not like they could really do anything if they weren't, they live in Texas."

"Oh. So you haven't met them."

"I met Emily's mom once when she was in Rosewood visiting, but that was before we were dating…so you promise you won't say a word to mom and dad?"

"I told you I wouldn't. You need to come out to them on your own. But you and Emily better start being more careful or they'll find out without any help from me."

* * *

The next morning.

Emily was sitting at her desk sketching onto a sheet of paper when her cell phone rang. Emily picked up her phone from the corner of her desk and answered it.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, honey. How are you doing?"

"I'm great. How are you and dad?"

"We're fine. Did Spencer tell you that I called last night?"

"She did. I was actually going to call you this morning, I just wasn't sure you'd be home from church yet."

"Your father and I just got home...so, how was your date last night?"

"Spencer and I had a great time. I really like being with her."

"That's so good to hear, Emily. It's about time you found yourself a nice girl. You deserve it."

"Thanks, mom. I really can't even remember the last time I was this happy."

"You should bring Spencer down to Texas to meet your father. If you two are getting serious about each other, I think your dad and I would both like to get to know her."

"Relax, mom. Spencer and I are still working on getting to know each other." Emily laughed. "I don't want to put that kind of pressure on her just yet, it's not like we're getting married."

"Well, you two are still more than welcome to come visit any time, regardless."

"Believe me, I'd love to bring Spencer home to spend some time with you and dad; but I think we'd better at least tell her parents we're together before I take their daughter half way across the country."

"I suppose that might be a good idea." Pam said. "So now that you've got your love life straightened out, how's work going?"

"It's going pretty well. I'll be finished with the Hastings' house pretty soon and while I'm still working on that, I'm also working on another job designing a new strip mall in Philadelphia."

"That's great, honey. How long will that take to build?"

"A few months, at least, but construction isn't even scheduled to begin until spring time and I'm not even building it. I'm just doing the design. It's too big of a job for me to handle, I don't have the people or the equipment to do it. But, I've got a few other smaller jobs lined up for me and my crew. Looks like I'm going to be pretty busy these next few months."

"I'm not surprised. Who wouldn't want you working for them? I'd hire you in a minute."

"You have to say that though, you're my mom."

"I'm saying it because it's true, Emily."

"Thanks, mom. I'm really hoping when things start to slow down a little bit, I'll be able to come see you."

"That would be wonderful."

A few moments later Emily heard a knock at her door.

"Hey, mom, someone's at the door, can I call you back later?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye, mom."

"It's open." Emily called out from the living room, setting her phone back on the desk.

Spencer opened the door and walked inside where she found her girlfriend sitting at her desk with a pencil and paper in front of her, along with other assorted drafting tools.

"Hey." Spencer said as she walked over to her girlfriend. "What are you up to? Working hard, huh?"

"As usual. I'm just getting a little bit of drafting done."

Spencer leaned over Emily's shoulder and looked down at her girlfriend's sketches.

"Well...can I touch your T-square?" Spencer asked in a seductive tone as she slid her hands down Emily's chest and kissed her cheek.

"Is that supposed to be code for something?" Emily leaned back in her chair and looked up at Spencer.

"Maybe."

Spencer spun Emily's desk chair around and straddled one of her girlfriend's knees as she placed her hands on Emily's shoulders.

"Think you can take a break?" Spencer asked, running her right hand through Emily's hair.

"For you? Absolutely...Come here." Emily patted her lap.

"Gladly." Spencer smiled as she sat down on Emily's lap and swung her legs over one of the chair's arms.

Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer's body.

"So...what are we gonna do today?" Emily asked as she gently kissed Spencer's neck.

"This works for me." A slight moan escaped Spencer's lips as she felt Emily lightly suck on her pulse point.

"You know, I had...an amazing time with you...last night." Emily said, in between kisses to Spencer's neck.

"I had an amazing time with you too." Spencer smiled, just before Emily's lips captured hers again.

Spencer shifted her weight across Emily's lap and laced her fingers into the architect's hair as she felt Emily's tongue swiftly slip into her mouth. After a few long moments, Spencer broke the kiss and placed her index finger on Emily's chin.

"You're a great kisser." Spencer said.

"You think so?" Emily smirked.

"Definitely. You actually know how to use your tongue, unlike every guy I've ever kissed."

"How many guys have you kissed?" Emily asked.

"Not a lot, really. But they all just kind of slobber all over you...it's such a turn off. That's why I like kissing you, you're so much better at it."

"I could always use some extra practice." Emily said, leaning forward to kiss Spencer again.

"I'm really glad you're in such a good mood, today." Spencer said, when the kiss was broken.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Emily smiled as she wrapped her arms tighter around Spencer's body.

"Because I need to talk to you..."

"Well, there's a sentence you never want to hear from your girlfriend...what's wrong?"

"Last night...when you took me home...my sister sort of caught us making out. She totally ambushed me as soon as I went into the house."

"Oh God." Emily's eyes widened. "Why didn't you call and tell me this last night? What are we gonna do? What if she tells your parents? I'll probably get fired...my guys will hate me. This is all my fault..."

"Em...calm down." Spencer placed her hands on either side of her girlfriend's face. "It's okay. Melissa promised me she won't tell."

"Are you sure she won't say anything?"

"She said she wouldn't and I believe her. We haven't always had the best relationship, but I really don't think my sister would screw me over like that."

"Does Melissa totally hate me?"

"Of course not." Spencer gently stroked Emily's cheek with her thumb. "I don't know how anyone could ever hate you. You're so sweet."

"So...is Melissa like okay with us being together?"

"Yeah. She seems to be."

"I guess we're gonna have to be a lot more careful if we don't want your parents to find out, but I really hate lying."

"We'll be okay. I'm sure last night was just a fluke. Don't worry so much." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and kissed her. "But speaking of parents, did you call your mom today?"

"She called me first. She wants me to bring you down to Texas sometime to visit."

"Really? I'd love to visit your parents."

"I'm glad, but I told my mom we better worry about coming out to your parents, before we do anything."

"I guess you're right. I'm sorry all of this has to be so hard. It isn't your fault my family sucks."

"Don't say that. No matter what they might think of me, they're always going to be your family."

"I know and I hope you realize that I don't care what they might think about our relationship. I love every minute we spend together."

"So do I, Spence."

As Spencer sat on Emily's lap enjoying her girlfriend's company, Emily felt Spencer's cell phone vibrate from her pocket.

"I think your phone's vibrating…" Emily said. "At least I hope that's your phone." She laughed.

"Of course it is." Spencer playfully slapped Emily's shoulder before fishing her phone out of her pocket.

"Is it important?"

"Not really. It's just Hanna. She usually picks the most inconvenient times to call or text me. It's like she has a sixth sense for knowing when I'm busy." Spencer typed a quick reply and shoved her phone back into her pocket. "I am hoping for you to get to spend some time with my friends though."

"I'd love to. I'd like to get to know your friends. We'll have to pick a time. They can always come over here. Maybe we can order food and just hang out or watch a movie or something. I finally bought a new DVD player so we can watch a movie out here."

"I kinda like watching movies in your bed."

"Me too, but I like just you and I being in there."

"So do I."

"Then again, we might want to reconsider, it might be fun…I haven't had more than one girl in my bed at a time since college…" Emily laughed.

"I really hope you're joking." Spencer glared at her girlfriend. "You haven't seriously ever had sex with more than one person at a time, have you?"

"Relax. I'm just kidding with you, Spence. I've never done anything like that. You're so easy to get riled up, it's cute."

Spencer just shook her head.

"Anyway. Maybe we could all hang out next weekend? I kinda feel like being selfish and keeping you all to myself today."

Emily smiled.

"That works for me. Talk to your friends and let me know. Just give me enough notice so I can at least try to clean up a little bit."

"Deal."

* * *

Monday morning, after Spencer had gone to school, Emily was getting ready to start work for the day when she spotted Melissa walking out of the Hastings' house.

"Emily." Melissa said.

"Hi, Melissa." Emily said, nervously swallowing the lump in her throat. "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping that I could talk to you for a minute."

"Sure."

"Come inside with me." Melissa turned and walked toward the barn, with Emily following closely behind.

When they got inside, Emily followed Melissa into the living room.

"Sit down." Melissa said, stopping in front of the couch.

Emily did as she was told.

"If this is about Spencer and I, I'm sorry about not telling your family. I hate being dishonest, but I really do care about Spencer. I know you probably don't care about my history, but it's been a really rough past few years for me in the relationship area. I didn't think I'd ever find anyone out there for me, but then I met Spencer and she changed my entire outlook..."

"Listen, Emily, I think you're sincere and I know Spencer likes you a lot." Melissa said as she sat down next to the architect. "Unfortunately, I'm not the one you need to convince."

"I understand. I just wanted you to know that. And Spencer and I are planning on telling your parents about us soon..."

"It's okay. I don't blame you for not telling them, yet. They're extremely difficult to please, especially my dad. He's grilled every single guy I've ever brought home and I'm not sure he'll be too thrilled about Spencer dating someone who's five years older. When I was sophomore, I dated a senior for a while and even though he was only two years older, my dad totally flipped out about it. So, I just wanted to say, don't be discouraged if my father doesn't immediately love the idea of you and Spencer as a couple. It's probably going to take some time for him to warm up to you. Don't let him intimidate you."

"I'll try my best…do you think your parents will freak out when they find out Spencer's gay?"

"No. If there are issues, it won't be with her liking women. I can pretty much guarantee that. Now, I promised Spencer I wouldn't tell my parents and I won't, but you two need to be careful. My parents have a way of finding things out. They're lawyers, it's what they do."

"Thank you for keeping our secret. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I just want you to know, I'm not keeping this a secret for my own sake. I couldn't care less if I got fired, Spencer is worth it to me, but I can't risk my crew's jobs. I'm honestly not trying to be selfish, it's just that, if I get fired, they're out of a job too and I can't do that to them. Those guys work hard for me every single day."

"It sounds like you're anything but selfish." Melissa said, placing her hand on Emily's shoulder. "I definitely understand what Spencer sees in you."

"Thanks." Emily said, staring Melissa in the eyes.

"I really have to finish getting ready for work, but I just wanted to make sure I talked to you."

"I should probably get working too." Emily said, standing up. "Thank you again for not outing us to your parents."

"You're welcome. I already told Spencer, it isn't my place."

"I guess I'll see you later." Emily said as she walked toward the barn door.

"Seems like we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other." Melissa said.

Emily gave Melissa a small smile before disappearing back outside.

 


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning, Spencer got dressed for school and headed downstairs. She walked across the yard to the driveway, where Emily's truck was just pulling in.

"Hey, Em." Spencer smiled as her girlfriend got out of the truck.

"Hey." Emily walked over to the brunette and kissed her. "How are you?"

"Good." Spencer smiled as she pulled away from Emily. "You smell nice. Like really outdoors-y. What are you wearing?"

"Pine tree air freshener from the car wash." Emily laughed.

"Are you kidding?" Spencer laughed.

"Nope. I washed my truck last night after work and bought an air freshener. I guess it's a little overpowering. But, on the bright side, it looks like I won't need to be investing in any expensive perfume. I can just get a two pack of those things." Emily pointed over her shoulder to the air freshener hanging from her rear view mirror. "For like a buck fifty."

"Funny." Spencer laughed. "Well, I'd really like to stay and talk, but I have to get going." Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek. "I have a before-school hockey workout. If I'm late my coach will probably make me do like fifty push ups to make up for it."

"Well…I'll do a hundred push ups if I can get a kiss goodbye."

"I think you deserve at least one kiss...and I'd definitely like to see you get down and do those hundred push ups, by the way."

Spencer leaned forward and pressed her lips to Emily's.

"Totally worth one hundred push ups." Emily smiled.

"Good. Because I'm gonna hold you to that promise."

"No problem. I'll even let you sit on my back while I do them."

"I think I just might take you up on that." Spencer smirked.

Emily stepped over to Spencer's Mercedes, opened the driver's side door and motioned for Spencer to get in.

"You're so unbelievably adorable." Spencer poked Emily in the chest, before getting into her car. "I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye, Spence."

Emily then closed Spencer's door and watched her drive off.

* * *

That morning, after her hockey work-out, Spencer was met at her locker by both Hanna and Aria.

"Hey, Spence." Hanna said. "You wanna walk to class together?"

"Sure." Spencer replied. "I'm glad you guys are here, I wanted to ask you something." Spencer shut her locker and turned to face her friends.

"What is it?" Aria said.

"I was wondering if maybe you guys would be up for doing something with Emily and I this weekend? I was thinking we could go over to her apartment, rent a movie, order some food and just hang out. I'd really like for you guys and Emily to get to know each other a little better and we haven't had a lot of time to really get together."

"Well, I'm definitely in." Hanna said.

"So am I. I'd love to hang out with you and Emily." Aria said. "What day were you thinking?"

"How about Friday night? Around like seven thirty? Does that work for you guys?"

"Sounds good to me." Aria said.

"Me too." Hanna agreed.

"Cool. That should give Emily enough time to get home and shower and stuff after work."

"Did you invite Alison?" Aria asked.

"No, but I guess I will. She'll probably complain if I don't." Spencer said. "I'll just hope she's busy."

"Has she been giving you a hard time about being with Emily?" Aria glanced over at Spencer.

"Not really about being with her, exactly. Alison's just annoying about the whole Emily and I not sleeping together thing."

"Don't let her get to you. It's not worth it." Aria said, placing her hand on the taller brunette's shoulder.

"I know I shouldn't let her bother me, but she's just so irritating sometimes."

"Listen, Spence, what you Emily are doing…or in this case, aren't doing isn't any of Alison's business." Hanna said.

"Thanks, guys."

* * *

Friday afternoon.

"You about done for the evening?" Spencer asked, walking into the addition where Emily was packing up her things.

"Yeah. I ended up getting a little behind today. I even worked through lunch...But I've gotta get home, shower and clean up my apartment before your friends come over. I was expecting to be done with work way earlier today."

"I can come help you straighten up."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. I'll clean up your apartment while you shower. That's not a problem."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Emily placed her hand behind Spencer's head and kissed her. "Just let me throw my stuff in the truck and we can go."

"Okay. We should probably stop and get movie on the way back to your place."

"What are we watching?"

"What would you like to watch?"

"Whatever you feel like. I'll even watch a sappy romantic, completely unrealistic chick flick, if you want."

"I think I'd rather watch a horror movie or something. I'm not really a chick flick kind of girl."

"A horror movie sounds good to me."

"You'll let me hold on to you if it gets really scary, right?"

"You can count on it."

"Perfect. I'm gonna rent the scariest movie I can find."

"Okay." Emily laughed as she bent down and picked up her tool box in one hand.

Emily reached for Spencer's hand with her free one, lacing their fingers together. Spencer and Emily then contently walked to Emily's truck, hand in hand.

* * *

"Why don't you go jump in the shower?" Spencer said when she and Emily walked into Emily's apartment. "I'll start straightening up the living room..."

"Are you really sure you don't mind tidying up? I feel bad having you clean up my apartment…"

"I don't mind at all. But it kinda looks like I've got my work cut out for me." Spencer laughed as she looked at a pile of random laundry strewn about on the couch.

"Are these clean?" Spencer asked, bending down to pick up a black pair of underwear from in between the couch cushions.

"Yes." Emily took the garment from her girlfriend. "All of that stuff is clean. I just haven't gotten around to folding it and putting it away."

"I'll do that for you…but, I think I'll start with these magazines." Spencer bent down, picked up a stack of disorganized magazines and began to sift through them, reordering them alphabetically.

"What's this?" Spencer asked, sarcastically, coming across a copy of Sports Illustrated, swim suit edition.

Spencer turned the magazine around so that Emily could see the cover.

"I, uh...bought that a long time ago. I don't look at it."

"Yeah, right." Spencer said skeptically. "Look at the date. This is the most recent issue."

"Well…I haven't looked at it in a long time. I forgot I even had it."

"So...you won't mind if I throw it away, then?"

"You shouldn't throw it away...I paid like ten bucks for that magazine." Emily laughed. "That's the most expensive magazine I'll ever buy."

"I'll buy you new magazines. Ones that don't have half naked women in them."

"Spence, if it bothers you that much, I'll get rid of this, okay?" Emily said sincerely as she took the magazine from her girlfriend. "But, I don't really understand why it bugs you."

"It's just that...I know you didn't buy this for the fashion and look at these girls, with their perfect bodies and huge boobs. I can't compete with that."

"Why do you think you need to? I like you just the way you are."

"Really?"

"Of course I do. And you know these photos have probably been through a lot of retouching…I'm sure they're barely even real."

"You're probably right." Spencer smiled weakly. "But I want to ask you something."

"Ask me anything."

"I want you to be honest…do you look at stuff like that because you're frustrated with us not having sex and you need something to...I mean do you like think about other girls when you..."

"No." Emily cut Spencer off. "And no."

"You're positive that you don't mind not sleeping together? I know I probably give you some mixed signals at times and…"

"Spencer, it's fine. Really." Emily placed her hands on her girlfriend's shoulders. "When I said I'd wait for you, I meant it. I promise. I'm so blessed to be in a relationship with a beautiful girl who I care a lot about. I'm not about to rush things or do anything to screw that up." Emily leaned in and kissed Spencer on the forehead. "Trust me."

"Thanks, Em."

"I'm gonna go get in the shower, but if it'll make you feel better, I'll get rid of this." Emily opened the magazine to the middle, then tore it in half, horizontally, before tossing it into the trash can near her desk.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. You're the only girl I want." Emily smiled at Spencer, before turning around and disappearing into the bathroom.

Spencer then continued picking up Emily's apartment. Spencer picked up the blanket that was on the couch and folded it, before tossing it over the back of the couch. She straightened the pillows, then folded Emily's clothing. Spencer took the neatly folded stack of laundry into Emily's bedroom and laid out a clean pair of jeans as well as a blue plaid button-down shirt on the bed. Spencer then took a few towels that had also been amongst the clothing and walked to the bathroom.

Spencer knocked on the door.

"Hey, Em, is it okay if I come in and put these towels away?"

"Sure. It's open." Emily called out.

Once Spencer had put the towels away in the bathroom cabinet, she walked back into the living room.

A few minutes later, Spencer heard a knock on Emily's apartment door. When Spencer opened the door, she found Hanna and Aria on the other side.

"Hey guys, you're a little early." Spencer said.

"Yeah, we left early so that we could be on time. I wanted to be sure we could find the place." Aria said.

"Come in. Emily's in the shower, but she should be out in a few minutes. Is Ali still coming?"

"Yeah, she said she'd be over soon." Aria said.

A minute later Emily walked out of the bathroom, in a sports bra with her dirty clothes in one hand and a short towel wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, Spence…" Emily then looked up to see her girlfriend standing in the living room with Aria and Hanna.

Emily stared at Spencer and her friends.

"Look who showed up a little early." Spencer said, motioning to her friends.

Aria quickly averted her eyes to the floor, avoiding looking at Emily. Hanna however, allowed her eyes to carefully look Emily, up and down.

"Um…hi. Aria, Hanna. It's good to see you guys again."

"You too." Hanna said.

Spencer walked over to Emily.

"Em, why don't you go get dressed?" Spencer put her hands on Emily's shoulders from behind and turned her toward the bedroom. "I laid some clothes out for you on the bed."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll be right back."

Emily then quickly disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door.

"So…holy abs." Hanna said. "Am I the only one who noticed that Emily's totally buff? I mean you can definitely tell she has muscles with clothes on, but in a towel…damn."

"Believe me, I know." Spencer said. "She's pretty built."

"I didn't know she had a tattoo either. That automatically raises her hottie factor by like a thousand points, at least."

"Do you two and Emily wanna be alone tonight?" Aria, asked sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Aria…" Hanna said. "Like you didn't notice, she's hot."

Once Emily had gotten dressed, she went back into the living room.

"That's better." Emily said as she walked over to the couch. "I'm sorry you guys had to see that much of me. No one needs to see that." She laughed. "I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here yet."

"It's cool." Hanna said. "We don't mind one bit."

"Why don't you guys sit down and make yourselves at home." Emily said. "Spence, is Alison still coming over tonight, too?"

"Yeah. She'll be here."

"Okay, cool. As soon as she gets here we can decide what we want to get to eat." Emily said as she sat down on the couch.

"So…Emily. Spencer told us you went to college in Texas?" Aria said. "How'd you end up all the way in Rosewood?"

"After I graduated. I was working in Texas for a little while, but I got a bunch of referrals to clients in the Philadelphia area."

"You know that French restaurant downtown?" Spencer said. "Emily designed that."

"Wow, really? Hanna said.

"It's true." Emily nodded. "I did design it."

"That's awesome." Aria said.

"Em and I just went there for dinner last weekend." Spencer said as she walked behind the couch and placed her hands on Emily's shoulders.

"Yeah. We had a really nice time." Emily leaned back and looked up, smiling at Spencer. "I'd love to take all of you girls out to dinner there sometime. We'll have to make arrangements."

"That would be great." Hanna said. "Oh and can I just say that you guys are like so ridiculously cute together. I can barely stand it."

Just then Emily's front door opened and Alison walked in.

"No need to knock or anything." Spencer said, sarcastically. "It's cool."

"What? It's not like you were doing anything. And I believe I was invited." Alison shrugged.

"That doesn't mean you should just barge into other peoples' houses." Spencer said. "It's rude."

"Don't worry, Spence. It's no big deal." Emily said. "It's nice to see you, Alison. How are you?"

"Good, thanks."

"So...what would everyone like to eat?" Emily asked.

She walked into the kitchen and opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of local restaurant menus.

"You know, I have this huge craving for Thai food." Alison said, picking up one of the menus.

"The only Thai place around here is on the other side of town and they don't deliver. Pick something else." Spencer said.

"Emily asked and I said what I wanted." Alison stared at Spencer. "Besides, I'm sure Emily wouldn't mind…"

"I don't. I can go pick our stuff up. If that's what you guys want." Emily said. "It's no big deal."

"You don't have to do that, Emily." Aria said. "We can order from somewhere else."

"I don't mind. You guys are the guests. Besides, Thai food actually sounds pretty good. What do you guys say?" Emily asked, looking over at Aria and Hanna. "Do we all agree?"

"Sounds good to me." Hanna said.

"If you're sure you don't mind having to drive across town..." Aria said.

"Cool. Why don't you guys write down what ever you want and I'll call."

* * *

"Our stuff should be just about ready." Emily said, looking at her watch. "I'm gonna go pick it up, you guys can just hang out here. Watch TV, whatever. I'll be back shortly."

"Thanks, Em." Spencer leaned forward and kissed Emily.

"No, problem."

Emily then picked her car keys up off of her desk and headed out the door.

Spencer sat down in the computer chair at Emily's desk.

"I'm really glad we're getting a chance to hang out with Emily." Aria said.

"Yeah, she's super sweet." Hanna said. "You're a lucky girl, Spence."

"How much longer will she be working at your house?" Aria asked.

"I'm not sure. It probably won't be too much longer, which is good. I mean I'll miss seeing her there everyday, but at least we'll be able to finally tell my parents."

"So obviously Melissa hasn't said anything, then?" Hanna said.

"No. She promised she wouldn't and so far so good."

"Good." Aria smiled softly at Spencer. "I feel like if my brother found out that I was secretly seeing someone, he'd be all about threatening to tell my parents."

Alison stood up and walked over to Emily's desk, where Spencer was sitting and began riffling through the drawings and other papers on Emily's desk.

"Holy crap." Alison said.

"What is that?" Spencer turned around to see Alison holding a piece of paper.

"The contract she has to remodel your house. Do you have any idea how much money your parents are paying her?"

"No. We've never talked about it. I don't need to know. It's none of my business and it isn't yours either." Spencer took the document from the blonde and laid it back on the table, underneath some other papers.

"You're so lame." Alison rolled her eyes. "Are we seriously just going to sit here and chat…you're here, alone in your girlfriend's apartment, you should be doing some snooping."

"Why would I want to snoop through Emily's stuff?"

"Come on, Spence, no one can be that gorgeous and perfect. She's gotta have a few skeletons in her closet." Alison stood up and walked toward Emily's bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked.

"To look in her bedroom, of course." Alison said, matter-of-factly. "That's where people always hide the best stuff, you know that."

Alison turned and walked into Emily's bedroom.

"No. You don't need to be in her bedroom." Spencer stood up and walked into the bedroom, with Aria and Hanna following closely behind.

"You can't just go through peoples' stuff, without their permission, Alison." Aria said.

"Emily will never know the difference."

Alison opened Emily's nightstand and pulled out a small bottle of liquid, which turned out to be KY lubricant.

"Well, we know Emily's not using this with you." Alison laughed. "Maybe she has another girl on the side. One who actually puts out."

"Shut up." Spencer took the bottle from Alison and put it back in the drawer. "So she has lube. Who cares, a lot of people do."

"Seriously. It doesn't mean she's cheating." Hanna said. "It doesn't mean anything. You're just jealous that Spencer has someone who really likes her, so you'll look for any excuse to make Emily look bad."

"Yeah. Grow up, Alison." Aria said.

Alison then bent down and opened the bottom drawer of Emily's night stand and pulled out a handful of seemingly random papers.

"I told you no." Spencer grabbed the papers. "I'm putting this stuff away and we're going into the living room to watch TV until Emily gets back."

As Spencer bent down to place Emily's things back into the open drawer, one small, folded in half piece of paper fluttered to the floor.

"Here, Spence. You dropped this." Hanna bent down and picked it up, but Alison intercepted the paper, before Spencer could take it from Hanna.

Alison opened the paper and looked it over.

"Jackpot." Alison smirked.

"What?" Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Look at this." Alison said.

Spencer looked over at the paper in Alison's hands.

"It's a birth certificate..." Spencer said.

"Who's Bryce Fields, Spence?" Hanna asked. "Does Emily have a nephew or baby brother?"

"No. She's an only child..."

"Oh, well maybe he's a cousin or something." Hanna said.

"Yeah or maybe Emily has a son who she hasn't bothered to tell you about." Alison said.

"You don't seriously think Emily has a baby, do you?" Aria asked.

"No way." Spencer said. "If she did, he would live with her."

"Not necessarily." Alison said. "What if she got pregnant, had the baby and was like a terrible mom that she got him taken away from her."

"I doubt that." Aria said. "I can't see Emily being a bad mom. She seems so sweet. Maybe she accidentally got pregnant when she was like really young and had to give the baby up for adoption..."

"No. Look at the date on the birth certificate. This baby is just under two years old." Alison said.

"There's no way Emily could have ever been pregnant." Spencer swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "She told me she came out to her parents when she was sixteen and she's only ever been with women."

"Yeah well, apparently she lied to you." Alison said.

"There has to be some logical explanation...there just has to be...there's no way..." Spencer said, it was obvious that she was becoming more upset by the moment.

"Spence, do you want us to leave so you can talk to Emily about this?" Aria asked.

"No. If you guys leave, she'll know something's up."

"Something is up." Hanna replied. "Or at least it might be."

A moment later, the girls heard the sound of keys in the door.

"Emily's back." Spencer quickly folded up the birth certificate again and stuffed it into her pocket. "Get in the living room." Spencer quickly ushered her friends out of the bedroom.

Hanna, Aria and Alison hurried to sit down on the couch. Spencer turned on the TV and collapsed into the computer chair that she had previously been sitting in, just before Emily walked through the door.

Emily looked up to see Spencer and her friends staring at her, with deer in the headlights looks.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"We're just starving and you're the one with food, that's all." Spencer said.

"Oh, right." Emily laughed as she set the bags down on the coffee table. "Let's eat."

 


	25. Chapter 25

Once everyone had finished eating, Emily got up and put the DVD in to the player. Aria and Hanna moved to sit on the floor closer to the TV. Leaving the couch open for Alison, Spencer and Emily. Emily then turned out the lights and sat down next to her girlfriend. Emily put her arm around Spencer. Spencer's body was a little rigid and she hesitated slightly, but eventually settled in and laid her head on Emily's chest. As the movie played on the television screen, Spencer was finding herself having a lot of difficulty focusing on the film. Her mind was spinning as she thought about Emily having a son. She and Emily had been very open and honest with each other since they started dating. How could Emily keep something like this from her? It all left Spencer feeling both hurt and confused.

About half way through the movie, Spencer felt her phone buzz in her lap. She glanced down and saw that it was text from Hanna.

When are you going to talk to her?

Idk. How do I bring it up? She'll know we went through her stuff.

No. Ali went through her stuff. Just blame it on her.

"Is everything, okay?" Emily asked, quietly, noticing Spencer was on her phone.

"Everything's fine." Spencer replied as she shoved her phone into her pocket.

Emily gently kissed the side of Spencer's head and wrapped her arms tighter around her girlfriend's body. Spencer tried to focus her attention back to the television.

* * *

When the movie had ended, Emily got up off of the couch and turned the light on.

"Thanks for having us over, Emily." Hanna said. "But we should really be getting home."

"Are you sure? You guys don't have to leave yet." Emily said.

"I'm sure you and Spencer could use some alone time." Aria stood up from the floor and stretched. "Thanks for having us over. We'll have to get together again sometime."

"You guys are welcome over here any time you want." Emily said.

"Thank you." Hanna and Aria both said.

"You coming, Alison?" Aria looked down at the blonde who was still seated on the couch.

"Yeah, I guess so." Alison stood up.

"Bye, Alison." Emily said. "I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"Me too." Alison walked over to Emily. "Thanks for dinner."

"I'll walk you guys out." Spencer said.

Spencer then turned toward Emily.

"I'll be right back."

Aria, Hanna, Alison and Spencer all stepped outside. Spencer quickly closed the door behind them.

"What are you gonna do, Spence?" Aria asked. "When are you gonna ask her about the kid?"

"I don't even know what to say. I just don't get it, we've been dating for over a month, why haven't I seen this baby or at least heard anything about him?"

"Maybe the father has custody and Emily only gets him every so often." Aria said.

"How do I even bring this up to Emily? I just don't understand why she didn't tell me about her son."

"Put yourself in her shoes, don't you think it'd be hard telling a new girlfriend something like that?" Aria said. "Maybe she just hasn't found the right time..."

"Maybe, but I don't think I can pretend to not know about this. How am I going to tell her that I know?"

"You better figure something out." Alison said. "If Emily has a two year old, he's not going away any time soon. Are you really ready to be a mom to someone else's baby?"

"God, I'm so not ready to deal with this." Spencer said, running a hand through her hair as she paced back and forth.

"You're not gonna break up with Emily, are you? Hanna asked.

"I don't want to do that. I love her and if being with her means I'm gonna have to accept the fact that she has a baby, then that's just what I'll have to do."

"Emily's really lucky to have a girlfriend like you." Hanna said.

"Thanks...I guess I should probably get back inside."

"Good luck, Spence." Hanna said. "If you need to talk, you know we're here for you."

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you tomorrow."

Spencer then turned and walked back into Emily's apartment.

"I'm glad you're back. Now, I get to have you all to myself." Emily smiled. "Come sit down with me."

Spencer walked over to the couch and sat down with her girlfriend. Emily leaned over and pressed her lips to Spencer's. Emily gently slid her tongue into Spencer's mouth. Spencer uneasily slid her hands up Emily's shoulders and into her hair. After a few moments, Emily pulled back sensing a bit of tension from her girlfriend.

"You okay?" Emily asked. "You seem tense."

"I'm not tense..."

"You sure? You seemed a little distracted tonight, like your mind is a million miles away. Is it something I did or said to your friends? Do they not like me or..."

"They like you."

"Well, what's wrong, then?"

"Nothing. I'm fine, really."

"Okay." Emily leaned forward and pressed her lips to Spencer's again.

Emily then closed her eyes as she gently began trailing a series of light kisses down Spencer's neck. As hard as Spencer tried to rid her mind of the birth certificate in her pocket, she found herself completely unable to focus on anything else.

"Em?"

"Hhhmmm?" Emily mumbled against Spencer's neck.

Spencer took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Do you have a baby?" Spencer's voice cracked, her words running together.

Emily's eyes snapped open, she pulled back and stared directly into Spencer's face.

"Why would you ask me something like that?"

Spencer didn't speak, but only reached into her pocket and pulled out the birth certificate. She unfolded the paper and handed it to Emily.

"Where did you get this?" Emily said, surprised to see the piece of paper in her hands.

"When you left, Alison started going through your stuff, I tried to stop her, but before I could, she found that...I'm really sorry. I wish I never saw it at all, but I did and you just can't unsee something like that..."

"Spencer, I know how this looks, but I promise you, it's not what you think."

"Then what is it, Em? You have a birth certificate that belongs to a two year old with your last name. What am I supposed think?"

"It's a long, complicated story..."

"We've got time and I think I'm smart enough to keep up, just tell me the truth..."

"Listen, Spencer...I've been meaning to talk to you about this..." Emily took in a long breath and exhaled. "Bryce is my ex-fiancée's son."

"Fiancée? You were engaged?"

"Yes." Emily nodded. "When I was in college, I met this girl...Stephanie. She was an accounting student at Texas Tech. We started dating, we were together for a while and things were great. But, about two years ago, Steph started getting really sick, she'd throw up almost every morning. We just thought maybe she had a digestive problem or something, so I took her to the emergency room to get checked out and that's when we found out that she was two months pregnant."

"You obviously didn't get her pregnant...she cheated on you?"

"Yeah. Stephanie didn't have a choice but to confess that she got wasted and slept with an ex boyfriend one night when I was away visiting my grandparents. I was pretty much crushed, but deep down I still loved her. I told her that I wanted her to keep the baby. I promised to marry her as soon as I finished college and adopt the baby. So, the next day, I went out and bought an engagement ring, nothing fancy, but the best diamond I could afford."

"A girl cheated on you, got pregnant and you still forgave her...and volunteered to raise a baby that wasn't yours..."

"In a nutshell, that's about it. Stephanie was nineteen at the time, she was scared and I just wanted to do the right thing, but my parents weren't exactly thrilled with my decision to stand by Stephanie. My mom never really forgave her, but I figured she'd get over it, eventually. So...Stephanie dropped out of college and I moved her into my apartment. My mother was pretty much dead set against us living together before we were married, but I needed to be there for Steph and I thought living together would be the best possible way."

"You've got to be the sweetest, most selfless person I've ever met. I think it takes a really big person to forgive something like that."

"It wasn't as simple for me as I made it sound...I really struggled emotionally for a long time. Even though we were working things out, I still had a lot of trust issues. Stephanie and I definitely lost a lot of intimacy. I mean of course I helped her through her pregnancy and I still loved her, but it had been months before I ever felt any sexual desire again. Half of the time we didn't even sleep in the same bed. I pretended to have developed a bad habit of falling asleep on the couch, watching TV before bed, because I didn't want to sleep next to her some nights. It was so hard pushing myself to trust her again, but when that little boy was born and he looked up at me with those big, beautiful blue eyes for the first time in the delivery room...it felt like nothing else in the world mattered. There I was, holding my newborn son in my arms, Stephanie and I would soon be married and we'd officially become a family...but things obviously didn't work out the way I had expected..."

Spencer could see the hurt in Emily's eyes as she talked about Stephanie. Spencer reached out and placed her hand on top of Emily's.

"Emily, no one could possibly blame you for breaking up with her...even after the baby was born...you tried to do a good thing, but she still cheated on you. It's hard to get around that."

"I never broke up with her...she left me, two weeks before our wedding was supposed to take place. She walked out and I haven't heard from her since. She didn't even dump me to my face. I went to work one morning and when I came home, she was gone, along with all of her stuff and the baby. She left me a letter and her engagement ring. She said she felt like she should be with the baby's father...even after all I did for her. Just because he was the one who knocked her up, that apparently made him somehow better suited to raise a baby. He wasn't the one who took her to all of the doctor's appointments, he never sat on the bathroom floor holding her hair back while she puked her guts out at four a.m. almost every morning during the first trimester. He wasn't the one who worked two jobs while finishing college so Stephanie wouldn't have to work. He didn't even have a job at all. Does that sound like someone who's well-suited to take care of a baby?"

Spencer gently stroked Emily's hand with her thumb. She could see a few tears begin to well up in the architect's eyes.

"Would you believe the bastard never once called or even texted Stephanie during her pregnancy to see how she was doing? It was like she didn't even exist. I treated that baby like he was my own flesh and blood...I loved him more than anything and it ripped my heart out knowing I'd probably never see him again."

Spencer watched as a few tears slipped down Emily's cheeks.

"You could fight for custody. You know my parents are lawyers, I'll talk to them, maybe they can help you..."

"There's nothing they could do." Emily slumped forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "I'm not biologically related to Bryce."

"But the baby has your last name."

"It doesn't matter. Stephanie planned to take my last name when we got married, so that's what we put on the birth certificate, but at the time she left me, I hadn't yet filed for adoption. So, I have zero legal rights. I'm sure she's changed his last name by now."

Emily closed her eyes and blinked back a few tears. Spencer placed her hand on Emily's back and gently moved it up and down.

"I'm sorry." Emily wiped away her own tears. "I don't like to let anyone see me cry."

"No. Don't apologize to me. You're obviously still hurt over this."

"I've tried not be angry, but it's so hard. I did everything I possibly could have…"

"It's okay to be angry. I don't blame you." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and hugged her tight. "You've been through a lot."

Emily shifted her position to face Spencer and returned the embrace.

"I just wish you'd told me all of this sooner." Spencer said, gently rubbing Emily's back.

"I wanted to." Emily pulled away to look at Spencer. "But, I was scared. When we first met, I liked you a lot and when I found out that you liked me too, I didn't want to screw it up. You're only eighteen, I was afraid that you'd think I had too much emotional baggage to deal with. I wanted to wait and try to win you over first, but the longer we were dating the harder it got for me to try to bring it up."

"It's all out in the open now. Don't worry. None of this changes how I feel about you. I'm really sorry that Alison when through your stuff, she had no right to do that."

"Maybe it's better that she did. I'm glad that you know everything now. It's a huge weight off of my chest."

"I'm glad you told me…but, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Emily asked, looking straight into Spencer's eyes.

"Do you still have feelings for Stephanie?"

"No." Emily didn't even hesitate. "It's over between us. I left her behind when I left Texas to come here. You're the only person I have feelings for now."

Emily watched a tear roll down Spencer's cheek.

"What's wrong?" Emily panicked.

"I'm just trying to process everything. Em, if Stephanie didn't walk out on you, you'd probably still be living in Texas, married to her, with a son. I'd never have even met you…I just can't imagine not knowing you."

Emily placed her hands on either side of Spencer's face.

"I should thank Stephanie for leaving me. As hard as it was to lose her and Bryce, I've gained a lot since then. I've been able to further my career and even better, I've gotten to know you in the process. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe I was meant to go through all of the pain so that I'd be able to really appreciate what I have now...with you…I...love you, Spencer. These last few weeks I've wanted to say that to you, but I just couldn't get the words out..."

"Stop..." Spencer placed her index finger over the architect's lips.

Emily's heart began pounding hard against her chest.

"Oh God, you're totally freaked out, aren't you?" Emily mumbled against Spencer's finger. "I knew it was too soon…I just..."

"No, Em. I need you to stop talking, so I can say that I love you, too." Spencer smiled brightly, leaned forward and pressed her lips to Emily's.

The kiss was passionate and pure. Spencer closed her eyes and tangled her fingers into Emily's hair as the brunette smiled against Emily's lips. Emily held Spencer close and slowly opened her mouth, tentatively deepening the kiss. When the kiss was broken, Emily reached up, gently tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear and rested her forehead against her girlfriend's.

"After Stephanie I thought I'd never fall in love again, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to, but then I met you and everything changed."

"Aw, Em." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her again.

* * *

"Can I stay over tonight?" Spencer asked, taking Emily's hand.

"Spencer…"

"I don't mean stay over like that…I just want to be with you tonight."

"Okay." Emily nodded. "I'll find you something to sleep in."

Emily stood up and extended her hand down to Spencer. Spencer followed Emily into the bedroom. Emily opened one of her dresser drawers and pulled out some clothes for Spencer.

"Here. You can wear these." Emily said, handing the clothes to Spencer.

"Thanks."

Emily then went back to her dresser and picked out a pair of Philadelphia Flyers pajama bottoms, as well as a black t shirt for herself.

"You can change in here." Emily said. "I'll give you some privacy. I'll be in the living room."

Emily then turned and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Emily unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off of her shoulders. She then unbuckled her belt, unzipped her jeans and let them slip down her legs. Once Emily had gotten redressed, she knocked on the bedroom door.

"Spence? You dressed yet?"

"Yeah." Spencer called out. "You can come in."

Emily opened the door and walked in. She tossed her clothes into the laundry basket near the dresser.

"You ready for bed?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. It's been a long night and I've gotta be at your house early tomorrow morning. I should get some sleep."

"Goodnight, Spence." Emily said as she leaned in and kissed her girlfriend.

Emily then turned and walked toward the door.

"Were are you going?" Spencer asked.

"I wasn't sure that we should sleep in the same bed, so I was gonna sleep on the couch."

"Em, we can sleep together without  _sleeping together_. Get into bed."

"As long as it's okay with you…"

"It's more than okay. We can cuddle."

Emily and Spencer both got into bed and laid down.

"You wanna spoon?" Spencer asked as she got underneath the blanket.

"Only if you'll let me be the big spoon."

"Deal."

Spencer rolled over so that she was now facing away from Emily. Emily protectively wrapped her arms around Spencer, pressed her body flush against Spencer's back and nestled her face into the brunette's neck. Spencer then closed her eyes and spent the next few minutes enjoying the warmth of Emily's body against her own before happily drifting off to sleep.

 


	26. Chapter 26

Early the next morning, Spencer rolled over in bed to look at Emily who was lying on her back, with one hand behind her head, fast asleep. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and laid her head on the architect's chest. After a few moments, Emily slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning." Emily yawned and placed one of her hand on the middle of Spencer's back.

"Morning." Spencer smiled.

"How'd you sleep?

"Great. You're amazing to spoon with. You're so warm and protective."

"I'm just over six feet tall, if nothing else, it gives me an advantage in the whole spooning department." Emily laughed.

"Well, I love it. Do you remember the first time I ever slept over here?"

"Sure. The first and only time, until now. We weren't even dating, yet. I invited you over, we watch a movie and you fell asleep in my bed. I just couldn't bring myself to wake you."

"I'm glad you didn't. I got to wake up to you getting dressed the next morning."

"You watched me get dressed? Emily smirked.

"It's not like I really saw anything. You had underwear on. Do you remember saying you didn't sleep in the same bed with me because you like to sleep naked and you didn't think it would have been appropriate?"

"I do remember that." Emily laughed. "But, I was kidding. I never sleep naked. I was just flirting with you."

"You're a huge flirt."

"I think you're the flirt. When I first started working at your house, I'm pretty sure I caught you checking me out once or twice."

"Just once or twice? You must not have been paying much attention, then. I basically couldn't take my eyes off of you. You had to know that I was into you."

"I honestly thought you just flirted with me a little because I was there and you were bored. I was never convinced that you actually liked me. I've worked for clients with daughters your age before and none of them would even give me the time of day, it never really crossed my mind that you might be interested."

"I pretty much had a crush on you from the minute my dad introduced us."

"Really?"

"Really. You're easy to have a crush on."

"How am I easy to have a crush on?"

"You're just totally cute, sweet, charming and not to mention, you have an amazing body."

"I don't know about that."

"Em, I've seen you without a shirt on." Spencer slipped her hand underneath Emily's t shirt and placed her hand on her girlfriend's abdomen. "There's no other way to describe you."

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "You definitely flatter me."

Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer and pulled her closer.

"It's been really nice to have the chance to get to know you and work our way up from acquaintances, to friends, to more than friends." Emily said. "Usually when I go to a job, I show up, get my work done and I go home. I've never really had much interaction with my clients, other than them telling me what they want and how they want it done. No one's really made much of an effort to talk to me. Ever since I moved here, I've been kind of lonely, but with you, it's been great having someone to talk to."

"You had other friends here before you met me though and I know you've…had girls…"

"Yeah, but you don't have to be physically alone to feel lonely. When I first moved here, I didn't really know what to do with myself. I was so used to taking care of Stephanie and Bryce that it was weird only having to worry about myself again. I'd try to just bury myself in my work as much as possible so I wouldn't have time to think about things."

"I'm just glad we have each other now. You know, Em...I'm also really glad that we had the chance to talk last night."

"So am I. I feel a lot better now that you know everything...I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It's okay. I understand why you didn't." Spencer said as she placed her hand on top of Emily's, lacing their fingers together. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"What was Stephanie like?"

"Spencer...we don't need to talk about her."

"I'm just curious. What does she look like?"

"She's basically your exact polar opposite. Five foot one, blonde, blue eyes..."

"You're six feet tall, dark hair, dark eyes and managed to find a girl who's five one and blonde?"

"Yeah. We were kind of a strange couple, but that doesn't matter now. You see, I've got a thing for this tall, sexy brunette with great legs."

"Anyone I know?" Spencer smirked.

"I think you might know her." Emily slightly shifted her position on the bed and leaned over to kiss Spencer.

As they kissed, Spencer's phone began ringing from the night stand, next to Emily's bed. Spencer reached over and picked up the phone, seeing that she had an incoming call from Hanna.

"Hey, Han. What's up?"

"Hey. Did you talk to Emily last night? Did she tell you about her son?"

"We talked and we couldn't have been more wrong about everything. I'll explain when I see you."

"Can I come over now?"

"I'm not home."

"Where are you this early?"

"I'm at Emily's and we're still in bed so can I talk to you later?"

"Holy crap, did you guys..."

"No. We didn't. I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay. Bye, Spence."

"Bye." Spencer ended the call and placed the phone back down on the night stand. "Hanna...always calling at the worst possible time."

"Your friends probably think I'm a total scumbag for not telling you about Bryce."

"They don't think that. I admit last night things looked bad when Alison found that birth certificate, but there's usually a reasonable explanation for everything."

"Would you still have wanted to be with me if I did have a son?"

"Of course I would. People like you don't come around everyday. I wouldn't be so small minded as to write you off because of something like that."

"I'm so lucky to have you, Spence. You're incredible."

Emily leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Spencer's forehead. Spencer smiled, wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend and nestled her face into the crook of Emily's neck.

"You know, I really hate to do this, but I've gotta get up and get ready for work."

"Your getting ready for work consists of you putting on a pair of jeans and a t shirt. You can cuddle with me for like five more minutes."

"Five more minutes it is."

* * *

"So, are your parents going to be home?" Emily asked as she pulled a plain white t shirt out of her dresser drawer and slipped it on.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"I'm just trying to figure out how I can get you home with out us showing up together. They'd probably be suspicious if I showed up to work with you in my truck."

"Just drop me off a little ways down the street and I'll walk home. My mom thinks I slept over at Alison's, so it's not like she wouldn't believe me if I said I walked home, it's only across the street."

"Okay. Cool. Let's get going, I don't want to be late for work."

Spencer and Emily both walked out the door and got into Emily's truck. Emily started her truck and drove across town.

"You can drop me off here." Spencer said as Emily turned onto the Hastings' street. "I'll just walk up the street."

Emily pulled her truck over near the sidewalk and parked. Spencer unbuckled her seatbelt and slid across the seat of the truck, closer to Emily. Spencer leaned over and pressed her lips to Emily's.

"Give me a minute or so to walk home, then you can drive over."

"Okay."

Spencer then kissed Emily again and slid back over to the passenger side door and stepped out.

Once Emily thought enough time had passed, she drove up to the Hastings' house and pulled into the driveway.

Spencer walked into the house, where her parents were having breakfast with Melissa and Wren.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said. "I didn't expect you home so soon."

"Yeah, well...Alison was being annoying so I left."

"Alison, being annoying?" Melissa said. "Big surprise there."

"Yeah, really." Spencer said.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Veronica asked. "I'll get you some breakfast."

"I can get it myself. Thanks, mom."

Spencer opened one of the cupboards and took a plate from the shelf.

"You want some more coffee, Wren?" Melissa asked, looking over at her fiancé.

"Sure. That would be wonderful, actually. Thanks, Melissa."

Melissa picked up Wren's mug and walked over to the counter, near Spencer. Spencer was staring out the window where Emily was walking across the yard.

"Were you with Emily, last night?" Melissa whispered, glancing at Emily through the window.

"Yeah." Spencer smiled.

Melissa picked up the coffee pot and filled Wren's mug before returning to her seat at the kitchen island.

"So, I'm really impressed with the way the kitchen turned out." Melissa said. "It looks gorgeous. Emily's great at what she does."

"Yes she is." Peter agreed. "Emily does great work."

"We're so lucky to have been able to hire her to do the work." Veronica added.

"Definitely." Peter said. "She's a very hard worker. I admire that kind of dedication. Nice kid, too."

"Yeah. I've talked to her a couple of times. She seems really sweet." Melissa said.

Spencer looked over at her sister, giving her an appreciative glance.

"Was Emily here when you got home, Spence?" Peter asked.

"No, but she's here now. I saw her truck pull up. Why?"

"I just wanted to ask her when she'll be installing the bathroom fixtures, since the water will need to be shut off while she does it."

"Oh. Okay." Spencer said as she set her plate down on the island.

"You can sit here, Spence." Peter said, standing up. "I'm going to go talk to Emily before she gets too busy."

Spencer sat down in her father's seat as Peter walked out the back door.

Peter walked across the yard and into the addition where Emily was talking to her crew members.

"Hi, Emily." Peter said.

"Good morning, Mister Hastings. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to find out when you're planning on installing the fixtures in the bathroom. I just want to make sure that we're all aware when you shut off the water."

"Oh. Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you a heads up. I was actually planning to do it when no one's home, that way no one gets inconvenienced. I'll probably get around to that on Monday. The hardware store called yesterday and said they just got the fixtures you picked out delivered. I just haven't had a chance to get down there to pick up the order yet."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Emily. My daughters would be extremely cranky if they woke up and didn't have water. Especially Spencer, she can be a nightmare in the morning before she's had a chance to shower."

"Perfectly understandable." Emily laughed. "I feel the same way most days."

Peter smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll let you get back to work."

"All right. Have a good day, Mister Hastings."

"You too."

When Emily turned around, her crew noticed the huge smirk on the architect's face.

"Thinking about Spencer in the shower?" Mike smirked, looking at Emily.

"Maybe." Emily exhaled and ran a hand through her hair.

"He'd kill you if he knew you were picturing his daughter naked in the shower." Chris laughed, staring out the window at Peter as he walked back to the house.

"Yeah, well, lucky for me he can't see inside my mind."

"Speaking of naked girls, how's the whole abstinence thing going for you, Em?" Mike asked. "It's been over a month since you and Spencer got together."

"It's all right. I've gone a lot longer than a month without having sex. I'll survive."

"You told her about Stephanie, yet?" Ben asked.

"Actually, I came clean to her last night, about everything."

"Really? How'd it go?" Chris asked.

"She took it pretty well, but she didn't really find out how I wanted her to."

"You didn't bring it up?" Ben asked. "How did she find out, then?"

"I invited Spencer and a few of her friends over to my apartment, I left them alone to go pick up some food and apparently one of her friends decided to get a little nosy and go through some stuff in my bedroom. They found Bryce's birth certificate, which I forgot I even had in there. Spencer confronted me about it and I spilled my guts."

"That sucks, but you've gotta feel better now that she knows." Mike said.

"Yeah, I do. Spencer was totally cool about everything. I couldn't really ask for more…well…standing here talking about my personal life isn't going to get this addition finished. Let's get to work."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Spencer found herself in her bedroom along with Hanna and Aria.

"So…you said Emily doesn't have a son?" Hanna said.

"No, she doesn't."

"So, who's birth certificate did Alison find, then?" Aria asked.

"Bryce is actually Emily's ex-fiancées, son."

"Emily used be engaged?" Hanna looked surprised.

"Yeah. It turns out Emily was dating this girl, Stephanie, while she was in college. Basically, Stephanie got drunk, cheated on Em with an ex-boyfriend and ended up pregnant."

"What a slut. I hope Emily dumped her ass." Hanna said.

"She didn't. And that explains the birth certificate. Emily forgave Stephanie, promised to marry her and raise the baby together."

"So basically what you're saying is that Emily's pretty much a saint." Hanna said.

"That's pretty much the case."

"They're obviously not together anymore. What happened?" Aria asked.

"Well, they got engaged and Stephanie had the baby. Stephanie was going to take Emily's name when they got married, so that's why the baby's birth certificate had Emily's last name on it. Emily worked two jobs to support Stephanie and the baby, while she was still finishing her degree, but, right before the wedding, Stephanie walked out and only left Emily the engagement ring and a letter. She apparently decided to be with the baby's father instead. Emily never even heard from Stephanie again, so she left Texas to get away from everything."

"How could anyone leave Emily after something like that?" Hanna asked. "She's obviously perfect."

"I know. She's got a heart of gold. She'd do anything for anyone." Spencer said. "We should all be thankful we're so lucky that we've never been hurt that badly."

"Seriously." Hanna said.

"Emily's still pretty broken up about the whole thing, I could see it in her eyes. I saw this whole other side to her. This raw, vulnerable, damaged person…she cried last night."

"Poor Emily." Aria said. "How do you get over something like that?"

"I know it's not easy, but I think I can fix her. Emily won't always show it, but she's really sweet and sensitive. I feel like she just needs someone to love her again and appreciate her for how amazing she is."

"I think you're good for Emily." Aria said. "You guys really care a lot about each other."

"We do. And last night, Emily even told me that she loves me."

"Oh my God, really?" Hanna said. "That's awesome. Please tell me you said it back."

"Of course I did. I didn't even hesitate to say it back. I've never felt this way about anyone in my whole life…I just really hope my parents can accept her when we tell them."

 


	27. Chapter 27

Later that afternoon. Melissa came upstairs to Spencer's bedroom.

"Hey, Spence." Melissa opened the bedroom door. "Mom, dad, Wren and I are going to the country club to play some tennis do you want to come? You can bring your friends."

"No, thanks."

"You can go if you want to, Spence." Aria said. "I've gotta get home anyway."

"Yeah. Me too." Hanna said.

"It's okay. I think I'm gonna go downstairs and hang out with Emily while she works."

"Okay. We'll be leaving shortly, if you change your mind." Melissa said.

Melissa then turned and left the room.

"You're so lucky to have your girlfriend working at your house." Hanna said. "You guys get to see each other all the time."

"I love that I get to see Emily pretty much every day, but things would be so much less complicated if she didn't work for my family. I hate that we have to sneak around."

"So…why don't you just tell your parents, then?" Hanna said. "You can tell them right now."

"Believe me, Hanna, I want to, but I can't. For Emily's sake. I'd like for her to still have a job come tomorrow."

"Listen, Spence, you know we're here for you, when ever you decide to tell your parents." Aria placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it."

"We know you'd do the same for us. Come on, Han. I'll drive you home." Aria said.

"Okay. Bye, Spence." Hanna stood up.

"Bye. I'll talk to you later."

Hanna and Aria walked downstairs and out the front door. Aria continued walking to her car, but Hanna changed direction and walked across the yard to the addition where Emily was inside and now working alone.

"Hi, Emily."

Emily turned around.

"Hanna? What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about Alison going through your stuff yesterday. Spencer would never do something like that and she did try to stop Alison, but it was already too late."

"It's okay. Did Spencer tell you the truth about the birth certificate that Alison found?"

"She did. I'm really sorry about everything that happened to you. You didn't deserve that, not after all you did for your ex. I mean clearly, you're perfect…"

"Oh, I'm far from perfect, but thanks. And don't be sorry. I'm not. If all of that didn't happen, and Stephanie hadn't left me, I never would have met Spencer. Spencer's amazing and I've never met anyone quite like her before."

"I feel like I owe you a thank you…" Emily said, absently running a hand through her hair.

"For what?"

"Well…if you and Aria didn't set Spencer and I up at the movies that one night, I'm not sure I ever would have worked up enough courage to tell Spencer how I felt."

"Did you always know it was supposed to be a set up?"

"I mean that's what it seemed like and I hoped that it was because God knows I was way too nervous to ask Spencer out on my own."

"You definitely don't strike me as the type to get nervous talking to girls."

"I'm usually not, when all you're trying to do is get a girl to sleep with you, the conversations don't have to be all that deep, but with Spencer, things were different. I really like her and I worried about every little thing to say. She's so smart…I was afraid of saying something stupid…actually I'm still afraid of saying stupid things and completely blowing it with her."

"Emily, sweetie…I say stupid things around Spencer all the time and we're still best friends. Besides, you're totally smart, you don't have anything to worry about, trust me. Oh and not to mention, you're like super adorable too. You're perfect for Spencer."

"Thanks." Emily blushed slightly as she looked down at her boots. "Well…I uh, should probably be getting back to work…"

"Okay."

Before Emily moved, Hanna quickly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Emily. Emily was a little surprised by the gesture, but she placed one of her hands on the blonde's back, returning the embrace.

"What was that for?" Emily asked when they separated.

"For being so good to Spencer. She really needed someone like you in her life." Hanna smiled. "She really loves you, you know. I've never seen her so crazy about anyone before…I gotta go, but I'll see you later. Bye, Emily."

"Bye, Hanna."

Emily smiled to herself as she turned around to get back to work.

* * *

Spencer stared out the window of her bedroom and watched as her father's car pulled out of the driveway. Once they left, Spencer went downstairs to talk to Emily.

"Hey, you." Spencer said, smiling brightly.

"Hey." Emily turned around.

"Did your crew go out for lunch?"

"Yeah. I'm convinced they like to leave the job site so that I don't cut their breaks short."

"It's probably true." Spencer laughed. "Do you want to come into the kitchen for lunch? I can make us something."

"What about your family?"

"Don't worry, they left."

"Where'd they go?"

"To the country club to play tennis."

"Why didn't you go with them?"

"I decided that I wanted to stay here with you. You're much better company, believe me."

"Come to the kitchen." Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand.

"Okay. Hold on a second." Emily said as she used her free hand to unbuckle her tool belt from her waist.

Emily let her tool belt gently slip down to the floor and followed Spencer into the kitchen. Once they got into the kitchen, Emily leaned forward and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and deepened the kiss. The kiss quickly and unexpectedly became very heated as Emily slid her tongue into Spencer's mouth. Spencer moaned into the kiss as she felt Emily's hands gently slide up and down her sides. Emily leaned into Spencer's body as she backed the brunette up against the kitchen island. Without breaking the kiss, Emily's hands slipped down and in one swift, effortless motion, she lifted Spencer up onto the edge of the island. The couple broke apart only for a second in order for each of them to take in a quick breath. Spencer tangled her fingers into Emily's hair as their lips met again. Though, Spencer's hands didn't stay buried in Emily's hair for long before they slowly moved downward, across the architect's broad shoulders and down her toned bicep muscles. Spencer's hands slipped lower still down Emily's back and to the hem of her jeans. Spencer slowly moved her hands up underneath Emily's t shirt, caressing the small of her girlfriend's bare back. Spencer tipped her head back as Emily trailed a line of kisses across Spencer's throat. Spencer pulled Emily closer and wrapped her legs tightly around the architect's waist.

"Em..." Spencer exhaled sharply and closed her eyes as she felt Emily begin sucking on her pulse point.

Emily leaned hard into the counter top, her belt buckle scraping against the marble in an attempt to get as close to Spencer as humanly possible. A moment later, Melissa walked back into the house to find Spencer on the kitchen island with Emily standing in between her legs. Melissa loudly cleared her throat as she stepped into the kitchen. Emily and Spencer quickly separated and sighed in relief, realizing it was Melissa.

"Are you guys trying to get caught?" Melissa asked. "And we eat on there, by the way."

"Sorry." Emily said, avoiding eye contact with Melissa as she turned to help Spencer down off of the counter.

"I thought you left." Spencer said, smoothing out her hair.

"Wren forgot to pick up his tennis racket on the way out." Melissa pointed to the couch where the racket was leaning against the arm rest.

"Oh…well, I was just about to make Emily and I something for lunch." Spencer said.

"Sure. Judging by that huge hickey on your neck, it looks like that's exactly what you were doing." Melissa said, using a stern tone.

"Geez, relax." Spencer said. "Are you jealous or something? Because I'll let Emily give you one, if you're that upset about it. She's really good…"

"Um, no thanks. No offense, Emily."

"None taken." Emily smiled, nervously.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Melissa said, looking at Spencer. "Come upstairs with me."

"I'll be right back." Spencer turned to Emily.

"Okay."

"What did you need me to come up here for?" Spencer asked as she walked into her own bedroom behind her sister.

"Sit down." Melissa said as she sat down on Spencer's bed.

Spencer sat down next to her sister.

"Listen, Spence. I know you like Emily a lot and I get that, but don't be so willing to give it all up to her so soon."

"I'm not...we were just making out. That's all."

"Okay. I'm just saying. Emily's not pressuring you to have sex, is she?"

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Why not? I'm your sister, you should feel comfortable talking to me."

"I know. It's just that we've never really talked about this kind of stuff before. It's not like we've ever been that close."

"Well, it's never too late to start fixing that…now, as your concerned older sister, I want you to answer my question."

"Emily's not pressuring me, I swear. We've talked about sex and I told her I'm not ready to take that step, yet. She said she's fine with waiting and she's been nothing but patient with me."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. Now, you guys really need to be more careful around here if you don't want mom and dad to find out. You're lucky I'm the one who came back inside, dad would have probably had a heart attack if he had walked in on you and the architect dry-humping in the kitchen."

"We were NOT dry-humping. God." Spencer said, matter-of-factly. "I told you we were just making out. That's it."

"Look, it doesn't really matter what you were or weren't doing, I'm just telling you to cool it a little bit before you get caught. I don't want to see that happen."

"I know." Spencer sighed. "It just sucks, I really hate keeping Emily a secret."

"I understand, but Emily won't be working here forever."

"Yeah, but I still have no idea how to even tell mom and dad about us when she's finished working here."

"If I were you, I'd definitely tell mom first. Let her warm up to Emily as your girlfriend, then maybe she can help ease dad into the idea. I think you'd be better off if you have one parent on your side and I think mom's your best bet."

"You think mom will be okay with us?"

"I think she'll be a lot more accepting than dad, she always has been. Don't worry yourself so much, okay?"

A moment later, Emily gently knocked on the door frame of Spencer's room.

"Hey, is everything all right?" Emily asked, stepping into the room.

"Everything's fine." Melissa said. "I really gotta get out to the car. Everyone's waiting on me."

Melissa then stood up and walked toward the door.

"Have fun playing tennis." Emily said.

"Thank you." Melissa gave Emily a small smile and gently patted the architect's shoulder before exiting the room.

"So…what did your sister want?" Emily asked.

"She just wants us to be more careful with our PDA around here. She just doesn't want to see us get caught."

Spencer gently traced Emily's jaw line with her index finger, before placing a chaste kiss on the architect's lips.

"Understood." Emily nodded. "We should probably get downstairs. I imagine the only thing worse than us getting caught making out in the kitchen, would be us getting caught making out in your bedroom."

Emily and Spencer both stood up and walked toward the door.

"You first." Emily said, stepping aside so that Spencer could exit the room ahead of her.

"Thanks. Now, do you think you can keep it in your pants long enough for me to make you something to eat?"

"What? So getting caught was my fault? I believe you're the one who couldn't keep your hands off of ME, Miss Hastings." Emily laughed.

"Fine. Would it be fair to admit mutual fault?" Spencer glanced over at Emily.

"I suppose that's only fair." Emily said. "But, it's not like I could really blame you, I mean all of this is pretty impossible to resist. You can look, but no touching allowed." She laughed.

Spencer rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You know, it'd be a lot easier to call you an asshole, if you weren't so cute." Spencer shoved Emily forward as they walked down the hall, toward the stairs.

 


	28. Chapter 28

Later that evening, Spencer came downstairs, where her mother and sister were cooking dinner while Peter and Wren focused their attention on watching the Flyers game on the television in the living room.

"Are you going somewhere, sweetheart?" Veronica asked.

"I'm going over to Aria's."

"So you won't be home for dinner, then?"

"No. Aria, Hanna and I are having a girl's night. I'll be home later."

"Okay. Just don't stay out too late, remember we're having brunch at the club tomorrow."

"I didn't forget, mom."

"All right. Have fun tonight."

"I will." Spencer smiled as she began walking toward the door.

"Hey, Spence." Melissa said, following her sister to the door.

"Yeah?"

Melissa stepped outside on to the porch with Spencer.

"Going to see Emily?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, I'm going over to her apartment. Why? Is something wrong?"

"No...just keep in mind what we talked about earlier, okay?"

"Relax, Melissa." Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to have sex with her. We're just watching a movie and maybe ordering food or something."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

* * *

When Spencer got to Emily's apartment, she knocked on the door and waited. After a few moments, Emily came to the door.

"Hey." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer. "You don't have to knock."

"I was just being polite." Spencer said as she followed Emily inside.

"Do you want to order a pizza or something? We can eat and watch a movie."

"Sure. Pizza and cuddling up with you on the couch sounds like the perfect night."

"Cool." Emily smiled, brightly. "Why don't you pick out something to watch and I'll call for the pizza."

It was about half an hour later when Emily and Spencer heard a knock at the door.

"That must be our pizza." Emily said, standing up and pulling her wallet from her pocket.

"Let me get this." Spencer said. "My wallet's in my bag on your desk."

"No way. I'll get this." Emily pulled a few bills out of her own wallet and headed over to the door.

When Emily came back into the living room, she set the pizza box down on the coffee table.

"You never let me pay for anything." Spencer said.

"I know and I like it that way." Emily bent down and kissed Spencer.

"You're cute." Spencer shook her head and grabbed Emily by her shirt, kissing her as she pulled the architect down onto the couch.

Emily and Spencer eventually settled down and ate dinner while they watched some mediocre horror movie that Spencer had picked from Netflix. When they finished eating, Spencer moved closer to Emily on the couch and wrapped her arms around the architect. Emily reached behind them and picked up the blanket that was on top of the couch. She unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around Spencer, allowing the excess to cover herself. Emily rested her chin on top of Spencer's head as she focused her attention back to the television.

About halfway through the movie, Emily looked down at Spencer and noticed that she had fallen asleep, as she usually did. Emily just wrapped her arms tighter around Spencer and placed a kiss to the side of the brunette's head.

* * *

Later that night, when the movie had ended. Spencer yawned and slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment for her sight to focus in the dim lighting as she looked up at Emily.

"Maybe someday we'll actually watch a whole movie without you falling asleep." Emily laughed as she reached over to the end table and turned on a lamp.

"I can't help it. You're so warm and cuddly."

"Don't ever tell anyone you referred to me as 'cuddly.'"

"Why not? You are. Besides, you can act all tough if you want to, but your cover was blown a long time ago. I already know that you're totally sensitive and super sweet."

"Am I?" Emily pulled Spencer onto her lap and kissed her.

"You definitely are. Those are two of the things I love most about you." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily, hugging her tight.

"Thanks. So...I wanted to ask you...your sister wasn't like mad about catching us making out earlier was she?"

"No. But she did give me the sex talk immediately after."

"That's what she wanted to talk to you about? I thought you said she wanted us to watch the PDA around your house?"

"We talked about that too, but only after the awkward sex speech."

"You don't know awkward sex talks until you've had one with my mom. I was like thirteen the first time she brought it up. Of course by then, I already knew about sex, but my mom decided it was that time. She sat me down in my room and she didn't even know what to say to me at first, she could barely look me in the eyes. Eventually, she worked up enough courage to speak and talked about waiting until marriage and STDs and pregnancy. So, I just hurried up and promised her that I wasn't going to have sex with any boys and we ended it there."

"I bet you never mentioned anything about girls." Spencer laughed.

"Nope." Emily laughed too. "I mean at that time I was still trying to figure out what I was. I was pretty sure that I was gay, but I was still really young, so I thought maybe I was just a little confused. Unfortunately for me though, after I came out and my mom had come to accept my sexuality, she felt the need to give me a second talk when I started dating my first girlfriend. I thought our first discussion was bad...but my mom trying to talk to me about lesbian sex. Game over."

"Aw. Your poor mom." Spencer laughed. "It must have been totally embarrassing."

"It was really embarrassing for both of us, but I honestly thought her head was going to explode like halfway through the conversation. She was all just because you can't get pregnant with this girl, doesn't mean you need to sleep with her. Don't give in to peer pressure Emily..."

"Yep, I definitely got the whole don't jump into anything or feel pressured speech from my sister…"

"Melissa doesn't think I'm pressuring you, does she?"

"No. Don't worry. I told her you weren't at all. I don't know why Melissa seems to be so obsessed with safeguarding my virginity."

"She's your big sister. It's her job. If I had a baby sister, I'd probably try to kill any guy or girl who even thought about trying anything."

"I guess I get that. I'm sure I'd be the same way."

"You know, Spence, you're lucky to have a sister who cares so much about you. When I was younger, I would have given anything to have a brother or sister. It was so lonely by myself."

"Aw. You don't have to be lonely anymore. You have me." Spencer said, gently patting Emily's chest with her open palm. "And Melissa and I have been getting along a lot better lately, I admit it's actually kind of nice."

"Is she okay with me? I mean I know you've said before that she is and I appreciate her keeping our secret, but is she really all right with us seeing each other?"

"She's fine with us. Don't worry so much. If she didn't like you, she would have ratted us out to my parents and had you fired the second she found out."

"I didn't mean to sound paranoid. I just want your family to like me because I love you, Spencer."

"I love you, too." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's body and laid her head on the architect's chest.

"So...do you feel like sleeping over tonight?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I have to go to a family brunch at the country club tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay. I guess I have to get up early for church anyway."

"I definitely wouldn't want you to be late for church." Spencer took the plain silver cross Emily was wearing around her neck between her fingers and looked at it. "I know it's important to you."

"It is, but maybe you can still come over later?" Emily gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair.

"Sure. As soon as I can get away from the country club, I'll come over. We can spend the rest of the day together."

* * *

After Spencer had left for the evening, Emily walked into her bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth before heading into the bedroom to change clothes. Emily stripped off her jeans and shirt, leaving her in only her bra and underwear. Emily tossed her clothing into the hamper near the closet and reached into her top dresser drawer for a pair of pajama pants. Emily slipped on a pair of red plaid pajama bottoms, just as she about to close the dresser drawer, Emily noticed a photograph poking out from underneath her socks. Emily pulled the photo out of the drawer and looked it over. It was a picture of Stephanie. Emily shut the drawer and walked over to the bed with the photo in hand. She sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the picture, she remembered taking it, not long after she and Stephanie started dating. It took Emily back to a much less complicated time during their relationship. Before the lying, the cheating and of course, the baby. Emily began to lose herself in thinking about her past and how different her life would be right now, if she and Stephanie had stayed together. Emily was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her phone chime. She reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone, seeing that she had a new text from Spencer.

**Hope you aren't sleeping yet. Just wanted to say goodnight. :) See you tomorrow. Love you. XOXO**

Emily smiled to herself as she began typing a response.

**Just getting ready for bed now. Love you too. Text me in the morning. Church should be over around 8. Sweet dreams. :)**

Emily set her phone back down on the nightstand and took another look at the photo of Stephanie in her hand.

"Sorry, Steph. But, I'm in love with someone else now...and she loves me back." Emily said aloud. "I don't regret being with you, but I think it's finally time to let you go. I need to let myself move on." She tore the photo in half once, then in half again.

Emily stood up and discarded the torn up photo into the trash can next to the bed. She knelt down on the floor beside her bed, Emily closed her eyes and folded her hands in front of her, resting her elbows on top of the bed as she assumed a typical praying position.

"Dear God, thank you for bringing Spencer into my life at a time where I needed love the most. I finally remember what it's like to love another person again and it feels great. She's made every struggle and challenge I've had to face these last few years completely worth it and I'm a stronger person now. I know there have been times in my life recently when my faith was weak and I'm sorry. So, I'm asking for your forgiveness. I understand now, you were just helping me to move in the right direction and on to a better life. Thank you…Amen."

Emily slowly opened her eyes and stood up. She walked over to the other side of the room, shut off the light and got into bed. She laid on her back and placed her hands behind her head, smiling as she thought about Spencer. It didn't take long at all for Emily to drift off to sleep, for tonight she finally felt liberated from all of the pain and emotional distress that had weighed so heavily on her heart and mind for the past two years of her life.

 


	29. Chapter 29

The next morning.

Spencer rolled over in bed and checked the time on her phone. She sent Emily a good morning text before heading off to the bathroom to shower.

When Spencer got out of the shower, she slipped on her bathrobe and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Spencer glanced into the bathroom mirror, where she noticed a large, purple bruise on the right side of her neck.

"Crap." Spencer said, staring into the mirror at the mark on her neck.

Spencer opened the bathroom door and looked out into the hallway. Once she made sure her parents were nowhere in sight, she made her way back to her bedroom. Spencer quickly got dressed and pulled out her make up bag. She went through every type of concealer she had, applying each one in an attempt to cover the mark.

"Shit." Spencer groaned as she tried a third type of liquid make up to no avail.

Spencer then left her bedroom and walked down the hall, on her way to the barn, hoping that Melissa might have something to cover the prominent love bite that Emily had given her.

"Morning, sweetheart." Veronica said, stepping out of her own bedroom.

"Hi, mom." Spencer said, quickly turning her head so that her mother wouldn't see the right side of her body.

"You just about ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah. Almost."

"Good. I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Spencer then quickly walked down the stairs where she saw her father sitting on the couch in the living room, looking at the newspaper.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Spencer muttered under her breath.

Spencer covered the mark with her hand, pretending to scratch her neck as she made her way toward the door.

"Hey, sport. Where are you going?" Peter asked, looking up from his paper.

"Just out to my car for a minute. I think I left my lip gloss on the front seat."

"While you're out there, can you go tell your sister to put a move on it? I want to leave here within the next fifteen minutes."

"Sure, dad. No problem."

Spencer moved over to the door and swiftly slipped outside. She walked across the yard and opened the barn door. Wren was standing in front of the mirror in the living room adjusting his Hunter green, striped tie."

"Good morning, Spencer." Wren turned to face the brunette.

"Morning. Where's Melissa?"

"In the bedroom. Probably still getting dressed."

"Thanks." Spencer said as she walked down the short hallway.

Spencer pushed open the bedroom door, which was already slightly ajar.

"Spencer?" Melissa said. "What are you doing in here?"

"I need your help. Do you have anything that'll cover this?" Spencer asked, pointing to the right side of her neck. "I tried every concealer I have, nothing worked."

Melissa reached up and touched the mark with her index and middle fingers.

"That's one hell of a love bite Emily gave you."

"I didn't think it would be this noticeable. If mom and dad see it, they'll ask questions."

"You might be better off wearing a turtle neck, but I'll see what I can do. Go into the kitchen, get some ice and hold it on your neck for a few minutes. Hopefully, it'll reduce the swelling a little bit. Then we'll try to cover it up."

Spencer walked back into the kitchen and opened the freezer. She wrapped a few ice cubes in a dish towel.

"What's the ice for?" Wren asked, from the living room.

"Oh, I just twisted my ankle in hockey practice last week and it's kinda bugging me today, so I thought I should ice it."

"Would you like me to take a look?"

"Oh, no. It's fine, really. A little ice is all I need. Thanks, though."

"All right. You'll let me know if it continues to bother you..."

"Sure. Of course."

Spencer then made her way back into the bedroom, pressing the towel to her neck as soon as she was out of Wren's sight. She shuddered slightly at the chill of the ice against her exposed skin. Spencer paced about the room, holding the ice in place. After a few minutes, Spencer removed the ice from her neck.

"Sit down on the bed." Melissa said.

Melissa picked up a bottle of liquid concealer as well as a powdered foundation from her dresser. She unscrewed the lid on the bottle of liquid and applied a generous amount to a square make up sponge.

"Do you think this stuff will work?" Spencer asked.

"At ninety five dollars a bottle, it better." Melissa began applying the make up to Spencer's skin.

Once Melissa was finished with the liquid concealer, she tossed the sponge into the trash can and swirled a make up brush in the container of powdered foundation. Melissa meticulously brushed a layer of the light-colored powder over her sister's skin.

"I think that will be sufficient." Melissa said. "Crisis averted. Mom and dad will never know about your extracurricular activities with the architect."

Spencer stood up and walked over to the mirror. She looked at her neck where the mark had been.

"You can't even see it at all." Spencer said, touching her neck.

"You will if you rub all of the make up off. Don't touch it." Melissa said.

"Thanks, Melissa. I owe you one."'

"You're welcome. Just tell Emily to at least try to keep it in her pants, it's gonna get old pretty fast trying to hide huge hickeys from mom and dad all the time. Besides, make up can only do so much."

Melissa placed her make up back on the dresser before turning to her sister.

"Now, go throw that ice out in the sink. I need to finish getting myself ready. Tell Wren I'll be out in minute."

"Okay. Thanks again."

* * *

Later that morning.

Spencer sat at her parents' usual table at the country club, absently pushing her leftover food around on her plate.

"Spencer, honey, did you see Andrew Campbell is here?" Veronica asked looking across the table at her daughter.

"Yeah, I saw him." Spencer said with zero enthusiasm in her voice. "Why?"

"I was just thinking, he's such a nice boy, maybe it'd be nice if the two of you went out together."

Spencer rolled her eyes.

"He's a good kid, Spence." Peter said. "I like him."

"Then why don't you date him?" Spencer said, sarcastically.

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" Veronica asked. "You seem a little on edge."

"I'm fine. I'm just not really into Andrew. We've known each other since we were kids, we're just friends any thing else would be weird."

"Andrew's not really her type, anyway." Alison said, walking up to Hastings' table, behind Spencer. "If I'm not mistaken, I think she likes them a little bit more rugged...don't you, Spence?"

"Yeah, I guess I do." Spencer glared at Alison.

"Well, there are still plenty of other nice, young men here for you to meet." Veronica said.

"I don't think Spencer's interested in meeting any boys..." Alison said. "She..."

"She's just not looking to date anyone, right?" Melissa quickly cut off Alison's sentence as she glanced over at her sister.

"Yeah. I'm just really busy with school and stuff."

"There's nothing wrong with being extra focused on your studies." Wren chimed in. "Besides, guys can be complete jerks anyway. You don't need one."

"Can I be excused? I just wanna go get some air." Spencer took her napkin from her lap and placed it on top of the table.

"Of course, honey." Veronica said.

"Thanks." Spencer stood up and grabbed Alison's arm, dragging her away from the dining room.

"What the hell was that all about, Alison?" Spencer snapped.

"What do you mean? I was just trying to give you a little nudge to tell your parents the truth."

"Do you really think that telling my parents that I'm for one, gay and two in love with our architect over brunch at the country club is at all appropriate? Or a good idea?"

"I'm just trying to help you out."

"You're not trying to help me at all. You want to see my parents freak out, you just can't ever be happy for anyone, can you? You know, even Melissa is actually being kind to me about this whole thing, why can't you? You're supposed to be my friend."

"Look, Spence, Emily's hot and everything, but don't forget she still lied to you about having a son. I'm only trying to protect you, sweetie." Alison reached up and took a lock of Spencer's hair between her fingers.

"You're wrong." Spencer quickly batted Alison's hand away. "That birth certificate you found belongs to her ex-fiancées son. The girl cheated on Emily with a guy and got pregnant, but Emily promised to marry her and raise the baby as her own. Her ex had the baby, Emily took care of both of them, just like she said she would only to have the bitch take off on her with the baby right before the wedding. So, I'd suggest keeping your mouth shut until you have all of the facts straight."

"So she doesn't have a kid. You're still not going to last. With you not putting out, I'm sure she'll be ready to jump on the next girl to show a little interest in her."

"No, she won't. We've talked and she's been nothing but respectful of my wanting to wait. You just hate that Emily loves me."

"What do you know?" Alison shrugged.

"Enough to know that I don't need to jump into bed with Emily to prove myself to her. We're not all as insecure as you are, Alison."

"Whatever. When things fall apart, don't come crying to me." Alison turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

Spencer then walked out onto one of the club's balconies and stared out at the tennis courts. She watched a few club members engage in a heated volley back and forth across the net.

"Spencer?"

Spencer turned around to see Wren standing behind her.

"Is everything all right?" Wren took a step closer to the brunette.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You left in a bit of a rush. Is it something to do with you and Emily, perhaps?"

"Emily? Our architect? What about her?"

"You don't have to pretend, Spencer. I know you and Emily have been seeing each other."

"You do?"

"Yes. Melissa told me. And I assume your friend Alison knows too?"

"Yeah..."

"You don't think she'd tell your parents, do you?"

"I don't think so. I think she likes to hold it over my head too much, but who knows for sure?"

"Listen, Spencer, I want you to know that Melissa and I are here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, Wren. It means a lot to me." Spencer stepped forward and hugged her soon to be brother-in-law.

"Don't worry yourself so much with what other people might think, as long as you and Emily are happy together, that's the only thing that should matter...now what do you say you come back to your family? Your mother wants us all to mingle."

"Great." Spencer said, sarcastically.

"Maybe it won't be so bad." Wren put his arm around Spencer's shoulder as they both walked back toward the dining room.

* * *

"So...how did your family brunch go over?" Emily asked as she placed her arm around her girlfriend.

"It sucked. My parents made us mingle with their friends the whole afternoon. My mom kept introducing me to all of these boys who she thinks would be perfect for me, even after I told her I don't want a boyfriend. I just wish you could have been there with me. You probably could have kept all of the nerdy guys from hitting on me. One of them was actually wearing a bow tie."

"Wow. Very nineteen fifties, huh?" Emily laughed.

"I know, right?" Spencer laughed too.

"God, it's so frustrating." Spencer sighed. "My mom doesn't listen, what part of I'm not interested in these guys does she not get?"

"It's a mom thing, I should know better than anyone else. My mom tried to get me to date just about every nice, single girl she knew."

"Yeah, but you're a total catch."

"So are you. Your mom's just trying to play you for the wrong team."

"Come here." Emily patted her own lap.

Spencer smiled and happily repositioned her own body so that she was sitting on top of Emily. The architect placed both of her hands on Spencer's shoulders and began slowly rubbing them. Spencer closed her eyes and leaned back into Emily's body.

"Try to relax a little bit, okay?" Emily said.

"Can you go to the left and just a little harder?"

"You got it." Emily shifted her hands and began rubbing Spencer's shoulders with a slightly stronger pressure. "How's that?

"That feels great."

Emily could sense a lot of tension as Spencer sat rigidly on top of her.

"What's wrong, princess?" Emily asked, placing a gentle kiss to Spencer's neck. "You've been awfully tense since you got here. Is there something else bothering you?"

"Alison just pissed me off at the country club today, that's all."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"She was just being a bitch. Like my mom was telling me how I should date this one guy and Alison just kept making all of these snarky, subtle little comments around my parents alluding to me being gay. I mean she didn't like flat out tell them, they still don't know...but it's just irritating. Sometimes she's not that bad, then other times I question why we're even friends."

"Don't worry about her. It's probably just your average teenage girl bitchiness. Hopefully, she'll grow out of it."

"Did you ever know anyone like her?"

"Of course I did, but the queen bee types were the girls I tended to avoid, if possible. I kinda got teased a lot in high school by those types of girls."

"You did?" Spencer turned around and looked at Emily. "Why would anyone tease you?"

"For being gay, mostly. My dad was stationed at an Army base in Arkansas when I was a sophomore. I came to school in the middle of the year and I always had trouble making friends, but for whatever reason I got pretty close to this girl who Alison actually reminds me a lot of. We started hanging out and I guess I sort of developed a crush on her. One afternoon, we were studying at her house and I got this overwhelming urge to kiss her...so I did."

"Was she your first girlfriend?"

"No. I wanted her to be, but she apparently didn't feel the same way. I mean I felt like she always kind of flirted with me and I thought she was into the kiss, she didn't stop me, although we really didn't talk about it afterward. I assumed we'd just go to school the next day and not talk about the kiss. But, the next day, was absolute hell for me. She outed me to everyone at school and made fun of me every single day after that, along with all of my other classmates. I even quit the swim team because kids would tease, saying the only reason I joined the team was to get to see girls in their bathing suits. Small town in a conservative state, I should have known that's what would have happened, but it was still hard. I'd go home and pretty much cry myself to sleep on a nightly basis. Sometimes, I'd even pray to God to fix me, you know, make me straight, so I could be the same as everyone else and I wouldn't have to feel so alone."

"Aw, Em." Spencer turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend. "You can't fix what isn't broken."

"I know that now, but at the time, I didn't know what else to do. I didn't trust anybody and I had no one to turn to. Things were already hard enough for me at home. I came out to my mom a few weeks before we moved to Arkansas. She'd barely even look at me and when she did, I could tell she was so disappointed, I felt like she wanted me to just disappear."

"What about your dad, didn't you talk to him?"

"My dad was so busy getting ready for deployment at that time, I felt too guilty to bring up my problems when he was leaving to fight in a war."

"You really haven't had an easy life..." Spencer said as she gently ran her fingers over Emily's cheek. "It breaks my heart."

"I spent a lot of time being ashamed of who I was and I know it sounds cliché, but it really does get better. One morning I was at school, standing at my locker, getting picked on by a group of girls from my biology class, including my former best friend. Out of nowhere, this pretty, popular, senior girl who I didn't even know walks over and tells all of them to go hell and leave me alone. She hugged me and told me not to let them get to me. She said there was nothing wrong with me and that I was stronger than I realized. She was the first person to ever stand up for me. We became pretty good friends and she convinced me get back on the swim team. She even gave me the confidence I needed to start standing up for myself. Things got so much better once I stopped feeling embarrassed about who I was. Kids stopped teasing me because they saw that it didn't bother me anymore. My relationship with my mom became a lot stronger, once we both realized that you can't change who you are, no matter how hard you try, so you might as well embrace it. Later that year, I even started dating my first girlfriend."

"Why didn't you ever tell me any of this before?" Spencer asked.

"I don't usually like to share my worst high school memories. Especially not with my girlfriend, it kills the mood." Emily laughed.

"I guess it would."

"Now, enough of my sob stories, what do you say you let make you dinner?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

"Let me check."

Emily got up off of the couch and walked into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and looked around at its contents, or rather lack there of.

"So...what are you making?" Spencer asked as she wrapped her arms around Emily from behind.

"Slight change of plans. Apparently I forgot to go grocery shopping. How do you feel about going out for dinner?"

"Sure. You wanna head over to the Grille?"

"Sounds good to me." Emily closed the refrigerator door.

"So...are you planning on staying attached to me all night..." Emily asked after a few moments of Spencer still clinging tightly to her.

"I'm just not done hugging you yet." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms tighter around Emily's abdomen.

Emily smiled to herself and turned around to face Spencer. Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes for a moment before placing her hand behind her girlfriend's neck and pulling her down for a kiss.

"I love you, Em." Spencer said when the kiss was broken.

"I love you, too." Emily tucked a stray strand of Spencer's hair behind her ear.

After a moment or two, Emily and Spencer walked toward the front door of Emily's apartment.

"It's chilly out." Emily said as she plucked her favorite leather jacket off of the hook near the door and held it out for Spencer to slip on.

"Thanks." Spencer smiled, slipping her arm through one of the sleeves, followed by the other.

"I'll drive." Emily pulled her car keys from her pocket as She and Spencer walked out the door.

 


	30. Chapter 30

When they got to the Grille that evening, Emily and Spencer both got out of Emily's car and headed toward the door. Emily opened the door and waited for Spencer to enter first. They were promptly taken to a table not far from the front counter. Spencer slipped Emily's jacket off of her own body and hung it on the back of the chair before sitting down.

"So...I had a pretty hard time trying to cover the huge hickey you gave me yesterday." Spencer said, opening her menu. "Luckily, Melissa had some really good concealer."

"Sorry." Emily laughed. "Sometimes I can get a little carried away..."

"It's okay. At least it felt good." Spencer laughed.

A minute later a waitress approached the table.

"Hello. Can I get you two something to drink?" The waitress asked.

"Could I just have ice water with lemon?" Emily asked.

"Sure." The waitress then turned to Spencer. "And for you?"

"Raspberry iced tea, please."

"All right. I'll bring that right out."

"Thanks." Spencer said as the waitress turned to walk away.

"So, how are your plans for the new strip mall coming along?" Spencer asked.

"Pretty good. I'm actually almost finished with them. I told the owners I'd have my sketches to them some time this week."

"You know, Hanna would probably want to marry you, if she knew you were designing a mall."

"She likes to shop, huh?" Emily laughed.

"She's the biggest shopaholic I know. She's at the mall almost every day after school. It's ridiculous. Thank God Hanna has Mona because I don't think I could survive having to watch her try on shoes everyday."

"I'm familiar with that pain. I've had girlfriends who'd drag me to the mall and ask my opinion on every single little thing. Then they'd yell at me because I'd tell them everything looked nice. What else am I supposed to say? I'm a girlfriend, not a stylist. I don't know anything about clothes, besides, I don't want to say the wrong thing. I think I was probably only brought along so that I could be forced to lug around all of the bags."

"Aw." Spencer laughed. "I'd never make you do that."

"I'd be more than happy to do it for you, though." Emily smiled softly across the table at her girlfriend.

"You're so cute."

A moment later the waitress returned with two drinks in her hands, she set them down on the table and then took Spencer and Emily's food orders.

"How was church today? Is that like weird to ask?"

"No, not at all. Church was fine. Pretty much the same as it is every week, but I'm flattered that you care enough to ask."

"Of course I care. I'm your girlfriend...I love being able to say that, by the way."

"What? That you're my girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Spencer smiled.

"Good. If you're happy, I'm happy." Emily raised her water glass to her lips. "How's everything going at school?"

"Pretty good. I'm staying busy. I wanted to ask you, I have a hockey game on Friday. You think you might be able to make it for a little bit?"

"What time?"

"It starts at six, but even if you could just take a break from work and make part of it, I could really use the support."

"I'll be there. I'll even work through lunch that day, so I can finish up work early and get there by six."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Absolutely. I want to be there for you."

"Thanks, Em. You're totally sweet."

"You bring it out in me." Emily reached across the table and took Spencer's hand.

After about twenty minutes or so, the waitress returned with Emily and Spencer's orders.

"Here's yours." She set one plate in front of Spencer. "And this one's yours." She set the other in front of Emily. "Enjoy. I'll be back to check on you two in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Emily said, looking up at the woman.

* * *

When Emily and Spencer finished eating, they sat at their table for a while, enjoying each other's company.

"Can I get you anything else this evening?" The waitress asked.

"I think we're fine, thanks." Emily said.

"Okay, then. Would you like separate checks?"

"No. You can put it on one." Emily said.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"Thank you." Emily replied.

A few minutes later, Spencer glanced over Emily's shoulder where she noticed her father standing at the front counter of the restaurant.

"Shit." Spencer whispered.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked, noticing that Spencer was staring at something behind her.

"My dad's here."

Emily began to turn to look over her shoulder.

"No, don't look at him." Spencer said.

Spencer quickly averted her eyes, attempting not to be noticed by her father as his gaze absently wandered about the restaurant, while waiting for his order. A moment later, one of the clerks at the counter handed Peter two large, paper coffee cups. As Peter turned to leave, he noticed his daughter sitting a table a few feet away with another woman, whom he didn't immediately recognize from the back. Mr. Hastings walked over to the table and was surprised to find Emily sitting with his daughter.

"Hi, dad..." Spencer said. "Wh...what are you doing here?"

"Your mom was craving a latte..." Peter then turned to Emily. "How are you doing tonight, Emily?"

"Just fine, sir. And yourself?" Emily said, nervously.

"I'm doing well. Thanks. I thought you said you were studying with your friends tonight?" Peter looked over at Spencer.

"I was. We met here for coffee and studied for a while, but I decided to stay a little bit longer after they left and that's when I ran into Emily. I was hungry, so I invited her to have dinner with me. We actually just finished eating, I was about to call Melissa for a ride home."

"Perfect timing, then." Peter said. "I'll just take you home. Save your sister a trip."

"Okay. We're just waiting our check." Spencer said.

When the waitress returned, she smiled at Peter.

"I'll take care of this." Peter said, intercepting the check before it got to Emily.

"Oh, no. Mister Hastings, you really don't have to do that...I couldn't..." Emily said.

Peter waved one of the coffee cups he was holding dismissively at the architect.

"I won't take no for an answer." He then set one of the coffee cups down on the table, fished his bank card out of his wallet and handed it to the waitress.

"I'll bring you a receipt." The waitress took the card and walked off toward the register.

"Thank you very much." Emily said, looking up at Peter. "I appreciate your generosity, but that really wasn't necessary."

"Nonsense. For all of the extra work you're doing, it's the least I could do."

When the waitress returned, she handed Peter back his bank card and a pen to sign the receipt. Peter scribbled his name down on the receipt and handed it back to the waitress.

"Thank you." The waitress said. "You all have a good night."

The waitress shot Emily a slightly flirty smile and gently touched the architect's shoulder as she walked away. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Spencer, but she did her best not to appear jealous in front of her father.

"I think someone likes you." Peter said, looking at Emily.

"I'm sorry?" Emily said, her brain not registering that Peter had been referring to the waitress, not Spencer.

"That waitress. She was definitely eyeing you up." Peter said.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Emily said. "I think she was just being nice."

"You're much too modest." Peter said. "Well, Spence…what do you say we get home before your mother's latte gets cold?"

"Okay, dad. I just need to use the restroom before we go." Spencer stood up.

"All right."

"Thank you again for dinner." Emily stood up as well, her gaze focused on Peter.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"That reminds me, I picked up your new bathroom fixtures from the hardware store. I'm going to install them tomorrow."

"Perfect. I can't wait to see the finished product."

"I'm sure everything will look great. I really like the counter top and cabinets you and your wife picked out."

"If the professional likes them, they must be good." Peter said, priding himself on his choice. "Well...have a good night, Emily. Good to see you."

"You too, sir."

Mr. Hastings extended his hand to Emily, who reciprocated with a firm handshake.

"I'll meet you in the car, Spence." Peter said, picking up his coffee cups from the table.

"Okay. I'll be out in a minute."

Once Peter left, Emily reached into her pocket, pulled out some money for a tip and left it on the table.

"Here's your jacket back." Spencer said, handing the jacket to Emily. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"You're welcome."

Emily then followed Spencer to a small waiting area near the front of the restaurant.

"Em, I'm really sorry about my dad cutting our date short tonight." Spencer placed her arm around the small of Emily's back and gently rubbed her girlfriend's stomach with the open palm of her other hand.

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is that he believed your story about running into me. I just really wish he hadn't paid for dinner, now I feel really guilty."

"Don't. My dad loves throwing his money around, the reason doesn't even matter, it's just what he does."

Spencer took a moment to look up into Emily's soft, dark eyes and give her girlfriend a reassuring smile.

"You should probably get going. I don't want you to keep your dad waiting."

"Okay."

"Text me later tonight."

"I will."

Emily then leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Spencer's lips.

"See you tomorrow." Emily said.

"I can't wait." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily for a quick embrace.

"Bye, Spence."

"Bye" Spencer said before turning and heading out the door.

Spencer walked over to her father's car, which was parked a few feet away from the restaurant.

"So…what did you and Emily talk about tonight?" Peter asked as he backed out of the parking space.  
"A little bit of everything. She talked a lot about work."

"I don't blame her. She's a good architect, she should be proud of herself."

"I know. The sketches she did for our house were great."

"I can't believe that our addition will be finished in just a few more weeks."

"I know. I've gotten so used to having Emily and her crew at our house."

"Have you gotten to talk to Emily much since she's been working for us?"

"Some. She's been really nice."

"I've recommended her to a lot of members at the club."

"You have?"

"Absolutely. I know a couple who's in the market to build a new house just outside Philadelphia, this spring. They're really hoping to snag Emily for the job."

When Peter and Spencer arrived home that night, they both got out of the car and made their way to the house.

"I was going to try to catch the end of the Flyers game." Peter said, glancing over at Spencer. "You want to watch it with me?"

"Sure, dad."

"Great. Just let me run this coffee to your mother. I'll be back in a minute. Turn the game on."

Spencer picked up the TV remote, turned on the game and sat down on the couch.

"Are the Flyers ahead, Spence?" Peter asked as he walked down the stairs.

"Yep. Two goals to one."

"Great. I'm going to grab a beer, do you want a soda or something while I'm up?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

Peter walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. He took a bottle of imported beer from the bottom shelf and soda for Spencer before heading back into the living room.

"Thanks." Spencer said as she took the drink from her father as he sat down next to her.

"So…I thought you usually watched the games with Wren?"

"I do, but, just between you and me, I like watching hockey with you a lot better. I think Wren just pretends to like it for my sake."

Spencer laughed.

"We should go to a game together some time." Spencer said.

"We should. It's been a while since we've done any real father-daughter bonding. It'd be fun."

Spencer moved a little closer to her father on the couch to watch the remainder of the game.

* * *

"Overtime and a shoot out." Peter said. "It was a hard win for sure, but I knew the Flyers would be able to pull that one out."

"Me too." Spencer agreed.

"I should probably be heading upstairs." Peter said, standing up. "You coming, Spence?"

"In a few minutes."

"Okay. Just do me a favor and turn out the yard lights before you go to bed."

"Okay, I will."

"And don't stay up too late. Goodnight."

"Night, dad."

Spencer pulled her phone from her pocket and laid down on the couch as she began typing a text to Emily.

Hey! Are you in bed yet?

Hey! :) Not yet. I'm just watching TV. I'll probably be up for a little while.

Will you be here before I leave for school tomorrow morning?

Of course. I wouldn't miss out on seeing your beautiful face to start out my day.

Aw! Thanks, Em. :)

It's true. But, you should get to bed. I don't want you to be tired for school in the morning.

Okay. Btw I really like our before bed texting. :) Goodnight, Em. I love you. XOXO

Goodnight, Spence. I love you too. A lot. See you in the morning.

Spencer smiled to herself upon receiving Emily's text and slowly got up off of the couch. She walked into the kitchen, turned off the yard lights and headed upstairs to her room.

 


	31. Chapter 31

The next morning.

"Your dad caught you with Emily last night?" Hanna asked as she shut her locker door. "Did he like flip out?"

"No. I told him I just ran into her at the coffee shop and I invited her to have dinner with me. He didn't question it."

"You're lucky, Spence." Aria said. "That could have been pretty ugly if he had caught you kissing her or something."

"I know. It's getting harder and harder everyday to keep Emily a secret. And it's so frustrating. I want everyone to know we're a couple, because I hate it when other girls flirt with Emily, but at the same time I don't want anyone to know because I know what could happen if my dad finds out."

"Do other girls hit on Emily a lot?" Hanna asked. "…Never mind, of course they do, she's gorgeous." Hanna rolled her eyes at even her own question.

"Our waitress last night was definitely hitting on Emily. It took all I had to not stand up and punch her in the face, but my dad was standing right there, so I couldn't have said anything. Even my dad noticed that she was flirting with Emily. He then went on to give Em that 'she totally wants you to do her' look that guys give each other." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I know that look." Aria said. "Noel and his friends do it all the time, even when I'm standing right there. So annoying."

"Guys are such pigs." Hanna said. "Good thing Emily's a girl. You're super lucky, you've got the best of both worlds with her. Emily's tall, strong and protective, she knows how to fix things and build houses and stuff. And she likes to cook. You've pretty much got it all with her, provided that she's not one of those girls who likes to talk endlessly about all of her feelings…I assume she isn't though."

"Definitely not. I mean, Emily's sweet and sensitive and she's opened up a lot to me when I've wanted her to, but we don't sit around and talk about how every little thing makes us feel."

"Perfect." Hanna said. "Now all you have to do is hope she's good in bed and you'll be all set."

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Spencer said, smirking a little.

"How far have you guys gone?" Hanna asked. "I mean you've at least seen her naked right?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You're at her apartment a lot. I just thought that sooner or later you might have seen her naked, even by accident or something."

"Nope. Never. I've seen her in a towel, but that's about it."

"Okay, but you guys are getting closer to doing it, right? You've slept in the same bed before…"

"Han, chill out, okay?" Aria said. "Maybe Spence doesn't want to talk about this."

"It's cool." Spencer said. "Yeah, we have slept in the same bed, but only once. Emily's pretty nice to spoon with though."

"Yeah, I bet." Hanna said.

"She snores too, but I think it's cute and it's nice being able to hear her."

"I can't wait until you guys are like officially out." Hanna reached over and touched Spencer's elbow as they walked down the hall. "You make the most adorable couple."

"You totally do." Aria agreed. "How much longer will Emily be working at your house?"

"Another few weeks."

"I guess a few weeks isn't that long. You guys have made it this far." Aria said.

"Yeah. It still can't come soon enough though."

A moment later the girls heard the bell ring in the hall way.

"We better get to class." Spencer said. "See ya guys later."

The girls then all split up and began walking in opposite directions toward their respective classrooms.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Emily had been working on installing the sink in the Hastings' new bathroom. She was working alone, as she had allowed her crew to work only half of a day. Emily's phone was blaring one of her favorite Pandora radio stations as she worked, causing her not to hear someone open the outside door to the addition.

"Hi, Emily."

Emily pulled her head out from the cabinet underneath the sink and looked up to see Alison standing in front of her. Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket and silenced her music.

"Hi, Alison. What's up?" Emily stood up and wiped her hands off on a rag, which she pulled from her tool belt.

"Nothing much."

"Is Spencer here, too?"

"No. Just me."

"Oh. Well, is there something you needed?"

"Not really. I'm just bored. How are things going between you and Spencer?"

"Great. I'm really lucky to have her."

"It's too bad she won't sleep with you though."

"It's okay. I'm perfectly fine with waiting until Spencer's ready. It's really no big deal."

"It doesn't bother you that you've been together for over a month and she'll barely let you get to second base? Is Spencer just that bad at making out that she doesn't even turn you on?"

"That's not it at all. Losing her virginity is important to Spencer and I respect that. I've got no problem whatsoever with taking things slow."

"Have you ever taken someone's virginity before?"

"Yes." Emily said, a slight upward inflection in her voice, signaling her surprise at the openness of Alison's question.

"How many girls have you been with, exactly? I bet it's a lot..."

"Is this Spencer's not-so-subtle way of trying to find out how many sexual partners I've had? Having you ask me, so she doesn't have to?"

"No. I was just asking."

"Oh. Well…that's a bit of a personal question, don't you think?"

"Maybe?" Alison shrugged.

"Why are we having this conversation?"

"Why not?"

"Do you usually answer peoples' questions with other questions?"

"Depends. I'm just curious as to why you haven't tried anything with Spencer yet…I thought people like you were supposed to be pretty big horn dogs."

"People like me?" Emily questioned. "You mean lesbians?"

"No. Construction workers."

"Oh. You're playing that old stereotype, huh? I work in the construction industry with mostly men, so that must automatically make me a pig? Honestly, you're way off. I'm always one hundred percent respectful of the girls that I date and Spencer's no exception…I know you've kind of been giving her a rough time about being a virgin and about dating me."

"So?" Alison said nonchalantly. "What's your point?"

"My point is, I want it to stop. I've held my tongue for a long time now, but I can't anymore. You obviously don't respect me, the way you talk down to me and going through my personal property…at first I just brushed it off, assumed that maybe you were only trying to look out for a friend, but it doesn't seem like you respect Spencer very much either. She doesn't deserve to be treated the way that you treat her...by anyone, let alone by someone who's supposed to be a friend."

"So what are you like her guard dog now?"

"In a way, I guess I am. I'm her girlfriend, that makes it my responsibility to protect her."

"And tell me, who's going to protect you when daddy finds out about all of the overtime the architect's been putting in with his daughter?"

"I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I guess so...but you know, it'd be a real shame if Mister Hastings was to find out sooner than expected...wouldn't it?" Alison said with obvious snark in her voice. "I hope you're prepared to deal with the fallout."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just making an observation. I know the Hastings a lot better than you do."

"Listen, Alison, I really don't know what you have against me, but I think you know that if you're the one to tell Spencer's parents about us, it'll hurt her a lot more than it'll hurt me. Sure, Mister Hastings might fire me, but it won't change the way I feel about his daughter. So you go ahead and do what ever it is that you feel like you need to do, but in the end, I think we both know that I'm definitely not worth ruining a friendship with someone as amazing as Spencer. Girls like her are hard to find and there aren't many of them out there. I've looked."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a job to do." Emily reached into her tool belt, pulled out a wrench and knelt down on the floor to resume work on the bathroom sink.

Alison didn't say another word as she turned to walk out of the Hastings' house. She was obviously more than surprised by Emily's reaction.

* * *

About an hour later, Spencer entered the house and found Emily standing in the shower stall, working on installing a new shower head.

"Hey, Em."

"Hey, Spence." Emily turned around, leaned out of the stall and kissed her girlfriend.

"You know, this isn't exactly what comes to mind when I fantasize about you in the shower." Spencer laughed. "You're usually wearing less clothes."

Emily chuckled a little, but Spencer was surprised that Emily didn't reciprocate with a joke, like she normally did.

"Hey. Is everything all right?" Spencer asked reaching out and touching Emily's forearm.

"Um, yeah…can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure. Do you want to come into the house?"

"Yeah. I need to go turn the water back on anyway."

Spencer followed Emily around to the side of the house where she reached down and turned the valve, restoring the water supply to the house. Emily and Spencer then walked in the side door and through the kitchen. Spencer set her book bag down on the floor and sat down on the couch, she took Emily's hand and pulled her down into a seated position as well.

"What's wrong, Em? You don't seem like yourself."

"Alison was over here a little while ago…I think she might tell your parents about us."

"What? What did she say to you?"

"It started out with her just asking me a bunch of personal questions. I stood up for you and told her I wanted her to let up on you about us not sleeping together and us dating in general. Then she made it sound like she was going to go to your dad and tell him about us."

"What did you say?"

"I told her to do what ever she wants, it won't change anything between you and I. Obviously, I don't want to get fired by your dad, but I guess what ever happens, happens. I love you and that's all that matters."

"I love you too." Spencer leaned in and wrapped her arms around Emily. "And don't worry, I really don't think Alison will tell my dad anything."

"You don't?"

"No. What would she have to hold over my head if she did? Alison just likes to talk a big game. Besides, everyone knows she's a liar, my dad probably wouldn't believe her anyway."

"I just don't understand what I did to her. I mean I've tried to be nice and everything."

"You didn't do anything, sweetie." Spencer said, gently stroking Emily's cheek with her thumb. "Sometimes Alison's just a bitch for the sake of being a bitch. Don't worry about it."

A moment later, Emily and Spencer heard the front door open. They both stood up as Veronica walked in the door.

"Hi, mom." Spencer said. "I thought you were going to be late tonight?"

"I was supposed to be, but my last two meetings got canceled."

Veronica then turned to Emily.

"Hi, Emily. How are you?"

"Good, thanks. And yourself?"

"Glad to be home."

"I know that feeling. I was actually just on my way out for the day. I turned your water back on, but I'm not quite finished working on the new bathroom yet. I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Emily."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night."

"You too." Veronica said as she set her bag down on the kitchen island.

Emily smiled at Spencer and mouthed the words "call me later" once Veronica had turned around. She then turned and quietly made her way out the door. A few moments later, Spencer and Veronica heard a knock at the door, followed by Emily stepping back in the front door.

"Did you forget something?" Veronica asked, smiling at Emily.

"No, ma'am. I hate to be a pain, but your BMW is blocking my truck in a little bit." Emily said. "It's kind of my fault, I parked crooked, but I don't think I can get past your car without backing into your mailbox."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Emily." Veronica said. "I'll come move it."

"I can do it." Spencer said.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Veronica picked up her keys from the kitchen counter and handed them to her daughter.

Spencer then followed Emily outside, she got into her mother's car and repositioned it out of the way. She stepped out of the car and walked over to Emily's truck.

"Thanks." Emily said.

"You're welcome." Spencer smiled.

Emily then leaned down and kissed Spencer goodbye.

"See you tomorrow?" Emily asked, when the kiss was broken as she took Spencer's hand in her own.

"Tomorrow." Spencer nodded.

Emily then slowly pulled away, Spencer was reluctant to let go of the architect's hand, but when she finally did, Emily got into her truck, started the engine and drove off. Spencer turned and walked back into the house. She set her mother's keys back on the kitchen counter.

"You know, Emily is just so personable." Veronica said, leafing through a pile of mail she had brought in with her. "I'm really glad your father and I picked her. Your dad said you ran into her at The Grille last night and you two had dinner?"

"Oh. Yeah we did. It was nice."

"Good. So...I just found out that my Friday meetings got pushed up to Thursday afternoon, so it looks like I'll be able to come to your hockey game."

"How did you know I have a game?"

"All of the games are listed on the school's athletic calendar. I have a copy hanging up in my office."

"Oh. Well, listen mom, you really don't have to come. I know you're busy and everything..."

"I want to be there. I know I don't have the opportunity to come to many of your games. Oh and before I forget, I wanted to tell you, I had a business lunch with Missus Thompson today and she said her son's really got his eye on you. What do you say the two of you make plans to go out some time."

"I'm pretty sure we've had this conversation before. He's a nice guy and everything, but not really my type at all."

"Oh, Spencer, you say that about every boy." Veronica said, picking up her phone and beginning to type a message.

"Exactly. Are you seeing the pattern here, mom? It's not just him or Andrew…" Spencer swallowed hard before continuing her sentence. "I'm not interested in any guy, okay?"

Veronica set her phone down and stared across the island at her daughter.

"Spencer, are you trying to tell me that..."

"Yes." Spencer cut her mother off. "It's exactly what you think. I'm telling you that I'm gay. I don't want you to set me up with any guys because I'm gay."

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Veronica asked as she walked over to her daughter.

"I don't know. I wasn't even sure myself, until recently and when I did figure it out, I didn't know what to say. Besides, you're never home anyway. When would I have told you? You're usually gone by the time I leave for school and bringing it up at the club over Sunday brunch with the whole family would have been awkward and the rest of the time you're either out of town or too busy worrying about helping Melissa plan her wedding."

"I'm sorry I haven't been giving you enough attention, lately." Veronica said, sympathetically as she hugged her daughter. "I'm just busy at work and this is an important time in Melissa's life, it doesn't mean I love you any less. I'm sorry that I made you feel that way."

"So you're not mad that I'm gay?"

"Of course not. Your father and I love you no matter what, you know that."

"Good. Because I have something else that I need to say...I lied to dad last night...I didn't just happen to run into Emily at The Grille. We've been seeing each other."

"You've been dating Emily?" Veronica asked, calmly. "Our architect?"

"Yeah. So please don't be angry at her. She's been nothing but sweet to me and I love being with her."

"Come sit down with me." Veronica took Spencer's hand and led her over to the living room couch. "How long has this been going on between the two of you?"

"A little over a month. I promise Emily was never anything less than professional. She's always been more than willing to listen to me talk, while she works. It's been really nice having someone to talk to who understands what I've been going through. She's a great listener and she actually cares about what I have to say. We slowly became friends and everything just sort of went from there…are you angry?"

"Not angry. Just surprised." Veronica said. "I do think Emily's a little old for you…"

"I knew you probably wouldn't be thrilled about the age difference between us, but when you think about it, it's only five years."

"Yes, but when it's five years between high school and college, that can make a big difference, but I suppose what's done is done."

"So, you'll let us keep seeing each other?"

"I don't see much sense in trying to keep you apart, if you want to be together, you'd find a way."

"I really do care about her. She's sweet and kind and..."

"Spencer, honey, you don't need to justify to me what you see in Emily. She's older, well-educated, charming, polite, attractive and she has a very nice physique to go along with all of that. Believe me, I understand. Now, who knows about you and Emily?"

"My friends know. And Melissa and Wren and Emily's parents..."

"Emily's parents are all right with your relationship?"

"Yeah, but they live in Texas. I met her mom once before we were dating when she was visiting Emily, but I haven't met her dad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I wanted to, but we were planning on waiting until she finished the job here. I was just afraid you might fire her. I don't want her to lose her job because of me."

"I'm not going to fire her, but I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we didn't mention this relationship to your father until after Emily's finished working here. I'm much calmer and more understanding than he is. You know that your father can be a bit hotheaded at times, I don't want him to get upset and make a quick, irrational decision about her."

"Thanks, mom." Spencer leaned over and hugged her mother. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, honey." Veronica said, gently running her hand up and down Spencer's back. "I want you to know that you can always come to me about anything."

After a few minutes, Spencer pulled away and looked at her mother.

"I invited Emily to my hockey game on Friday."

"Good. We can sit together. If you two are going to date, I think it would be a good idea for me to get know her better."

"Just please don't do anything embarrassing, okay?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like show her my baby pictures or something."

"Oh, I think the baby pictures would be best saved for later. Maybe over coffee after dinner some night. I'll need some time to dig out the best ones." Veronica laughed.

"Oh God." Spencer groaned.

"Don't worry, honey, I promise I won't embarrass you. But, I do need to ask you something..."

"What is it?"

"Are you and Emily sexually active? I won't be angry if you say yes, I just want you to be honest with me."

"Mom!" Spencer immediately blushed. "That's a perfect example of something not to talk to Emily about…and we really don't need to have this conversation. Emily and I aren't having sex."

"Okay. Now, you know that becoming intimate is a huge step in a relationship and you don't have to take that step if you're not ready to. You don't need to rush things just because Emily's older and probably more experienced..."

"I know and I'm not rushing into anything."

"Good. I'm glad."

"If we're done here, I'm gonna go call Emily and tell her that I told you about us."

"All right. But before you go, while Emily's still employed here, if she's on the clock, I expect her to be working."

"Of course she will. She always does. Thanks again, mom. You're amazing." Spencer hugged her mother one more time before getting up off of the couch and pulling her phone from her pocket.

 


	32. Chapter 32

That evening, Emily had been sitting at her desk, putting the finishing touches on an architectural drawing when her phone began ringing. She picked her phone up front the corner of her desk and saw that it was Spencer on the other end.

"Hello?" Emily raised her phone to her ear.

"Hey, Em." Spencer said, her voice noticeably upbeat. "Are you home?"

"Hey, Spence. Yeah, I just got home a little while ago. What's up? Did I leave something at your house?"

"No. I just wanted to tell you that I came out to my mom."

"You did? How did she take it?"

"Very well. She doesn't have a problem at all with me being gay."

"That's great. I bet you feel pretty relieved."

"I really do. Now, my mom won't try to set me up with any more guys."

"Yeah, she'll probably want to hook you up with every cute, single girl in the tri-state area." Emily laughed. "Or maybe that's just my mom..."

"I don't think my mom will try to hook me up with anyone...don't get upset, but I also told her about us..."

"Your mom knows about us?" Emily asked nervously, she could feel her heart racing a mile a minute. "What did she say?"

"Em, it's okay. She's not angry. I know I should have talked to you first, but she was trying to hook me up with this guy, that's when I told her I was gay, she was understanding and supportive and the rest just sort of spilled out."

"So she's okay with us dating?"

"Yes. Don't worry."

"What about your dad?"

"My mom thinks we should wait to tell him. She said she doesn't want him to make an irrational decision about you."

"So that pretty much means she thinks he'll be pissed when he finds out?"

"He might be, but let's not even think about that right now, okay?" Spencer said, reassuringly. "My mom's on our side. Let's just take this one step at a time."

"Okay, you're right. Having your mom support us is amazing. So she wasn't angry or anything?"

"No, she was just surprised."

"Should I like go to her and talk about this? I don't want her to think I don't care about what she thinks, but I feel like it'll be awkward..."

"It couldn't possibly be more awkward than the part of our mother/daughter conversation when my mom asked if you and I were sexually active."

"Oh God, what did you tell her?"

"I told her we aren't, that is the truth, isn't it? Because I'm going to be very disappointed if I find out that we had sex at some point and I missed it." Spencer laughed.

"Sorry, Spence. That was a stupid question. I'm just not exactly sure how to you know like approach your mom."

"Approach her the same as you always have. She likes you and she already thinks you're polite and charming."

"She does?"

"Yep. And don't sound so surprised. You're totally charming and polite."

"Thanks. I try."

"Can you come to work a little early tomorrow morning? We can have breakfast together before I leave for school. My dad has an early meeting, so he won't be home."

"I'd love to."

"Perfect. I'll see you in the morning, then. I love you, Em."

"I love you too."

"I'll text you before I go to bed."

"Great. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Spence."

* * *

The next morning.

Spencer woke up extra early and went downstairs to begin making breakfast. Spencer opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of eggs and a package of bacon. Spencer then took out a loaf of bread to make some French toast.

"Morning, Spence." Peter said, walking into the kitchen. "You're up early."

"Oh. Yeah, I just wanted to make some breakfast before school."

"Looks like you've got quite an appetite this morning." Peter laughed, noticing the over abundance of food that Spencer was in the middle of preparing.

"I guess I got a little carried away." Spencer laughed too. "But, I'm sure what ever I don't eat, Melissa and Wren probably will. Do you want some French toast?"

"No, thanks. I really need to get going. I'll just grab some coffee and be on my way."

Peter opened one of the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a blue and red University of Pennsylvania travel mug.

"Sorry, I won't be able to make it to your hockey game on Friday, champ." Peter said as he filled his mug with coffee. "I have to be in New York by Friday morning."

"It's okay, dad. It's really no problem."

"Your mother's still planning on going, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's coming."

"Good. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay. Bye dad."

"Bye, Spence." Peter grabbed his coat off of the hook near the door and headed outside.

Spencer removed the pieces of French toast from the pan she was using and placed them on a plate before checking on the bacon. Spencer then scrambled a few eggs. Once the food was done, Spencer headed upstairs to get dressed.

"Spencer, honey, are you cooking something?" Veronica asked, meeting her daughter in the hallway.

"I made French toast, eggs and bacon. I invited Emily over for breakfast before she starts work. I made a lot. Do you want to eat with us?"

"Oh, no, I don't want to intrude. I need to get going to work shortly, anyway."

"Okay. Well, I just need to go get dressed."

Spencer then walked into her own bedroom as Veronica headed downstairs. As she walked into the living room, Veronica heard a knock at the front door. She walked over to the door and opened it to find Emily standing on the other side.

"Good morning, Emily."

"Good morning, Missus Hastings. How are you today?"

"Just fine, thanks. Come on in."

"I know I'm a little early..." Emily said, following Veronica into the house.

"Spencer said she invited you for breakfast."

"She did, but if you'd rather me just go get started working I can do that..."

"Emily, honey, it's fine." Veronica said sincerely. "Why don't you come sit in the kitchen. Spencer will be down in a minute."

"Okay." Emily said, following Veronica into the kitchen.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Veronica asked.

"I'd love some coffee. Thank you." Emily said, sitting down on one of the stools at the kitchen island.

Veronica reached up and took three mugs off of the shelf of the cabinet. She filled two of the mugs, leaving the third on the counter, waiting for Spencer.

"Do you take cream or sugar in your coffee?" Veronica asked.

"Just a little of both, please."

Once Veronica had added cream and sugar to the coffee, she set one of the mugs down in front of Emily.

"Thank you." Emily said, looking up at Veronica.

"You're welcome." Veronica sat down next to Emily.

"Missus Hastings, I'm not really exactly sure what to say in this type of a situation, but I want you to know that I really appreciate you being so accepting of Spencer and I, it means a lot to both of us. I hated lying about our relationship, but..."

"It's all right. I understand why you didn't tell me or my husband. It's a bit of an awkward situation, but I'm not angry with you."

"Thank you. Normally, I'd never even dream of becoming involved with a client's daughter, but everything just sort of happened between Spencer and I. I've had a rough couple of years relationship-wise, then I met Spencer and she just genuinely seemed to care about me. It was nice to have that feeling again."

"I have to admit, I was very surprised when Spencer told me that the two of you had been seeing each other, but as long as you treat her well, you won't hear much of a fuss from me. I can't speak for my husband and at this point I'm not sure how he'll react, but I want you to know that I'll do what ever I can to support you and my daughter. Just from talking to Spencer last night, it's obvious that you make her happy and that's what's important to me."

"Thank you. Spencer means so much to me, I wouldn't risk doing anything to mess that up."

"I'm glad to hear that...are you looking forward to Spencer's hockey game on Friday?"

"Yes. I can't wait to watch her. She's an amazing player and I love hockey."

"Good, maybe you can explain to me how the whole game works. I don't really know much about sports." Veronica said, raising her coffee cup to her lips.

"You're coming to the game too?"

"Yes. Spencer didn't tell you?"

"No. She must have forgotten to mention it...will Mister Hastings also be there? Should I not go?"

"You should be there." Veronica said, placing her hand on Emily's shoulder. "I know Spencer would want you to be. Don't worry about my husband, he'll be in New York on a business trip all weekend."

A moment later, Spencer came downstairs and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Em." Spencer said, walking over to her girlfriend and wrapping her arms around Emily's shoulders.

"Morning." Emily smiled, looking up at Spencer.

"I hope you're hungry, I made French toast."

"That sounds great. French toast is my favorite."

"I think I'll just leave you two alone." Veronica said, standing up.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat with us?" Spencer asked.

"No, thanks. I should really get going to work."

Veronica picked up her bag from the couch and headed toward the door.

"Have a good day, girls." Veronica said, just before disappearing out the door.

"So, what were you talking to my mom about?" Spencer asked, placing a few slices of French toast, some eggs and few strips of bacon on a plate.

"Oh, not too much. I actually just got here a few minutes ago."

Spencer spread some butter on the French toast and covered golden-brown bread in syrup, before sliding the plate over to Emily.

"Thank you...so why didn't you tell me that your mom was coming to your hockey game?"

"I forgot. She just told me last night. Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just a little nervous to spend pretty much the whole evening alone with my girlfriend's mom. Before, I was just the architect, I'd show up, work all day and go home. But, things will be different from now on."

"You're right, things will be different." Spencer said, taking Emily's hand. "They'll be better. My mom's one less person we have to hide from. And one more person on our side."

"I guess you're right. It's just, what do we even talk about? It was easy when all of our conversations involved counter top samples, blueprints and bathroom fixtures..."

"Talk about anything you want. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just relax. You're good at interacting with people. You're a total sweetheart. I know my mom will love you."

"I hope so...what does your mom like? Just give me some conversation topics..."

"Em, seriously, you're over thinking things. Please don't drive yourself crazy over this. You can't plan out every little thing to say."

"I know..." Emily sighed. "But, I'm still nervous."

"Don't be. As adorable as you are being all nervous, I know you'll be fine. But...you know, if all else fails, you can always just talk about me." Spencer stepped behind Emily and slipped her hands down over the architect's chest as she bent down and kissed her cheek.

"That's true. You are my favorite topic of conversation, after all." Emily smiled. "Oh and thank you for making me breakfast."

"You're welcome."

Emily then leaned over and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips.

"You taste like syrup." Spencer smiled.

"Is that a good thing?" Emily asked.

"Definitely...so do you feel better, now?" Spencer placed her hand on top of Emily's

"Yeah, actually I do."

"Good."

Spencer pulled a stool out and sat down next to her girlfriend.

"You know, I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that your mom's okay with us."

"Me too. One parent down, one to go…"

"Yeah, just as soon as I finish the addition, we can officially come out...won't be that much longer."

"What are you going to be working on today?"

"I'm planning on finishing the plumbing in the new bathroom, then I'm probably going to lay down the new flooring. You going to be home before I leave?"

"I have a late hockey practice tonight, so probably not."

"Do you want to come over after your practice? I just have to finish my drawings for the strip mall, but I'll probably have that done before your practice is over."

"I'd love to come over tonight."

"Cool." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer.

When the kiss was broken, Spencer noticed a smile creeping across Emily's lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Spencer asked.

"I just still can't believe that someone like me actually managed to get a girl like you. Never did I ever think I'd be good enough for someone like you. Usually, when I work for clients like your parents, their daughters take one look at me and assume I'm there to clean the pool. But, not you, you actually took the time to get to know me."

"Of course I did. The minute I met you, I just had a feeling that you were someone I wanted to know better. Besides, it's not every day a gorgeous architect shows up at your house fully prepared to perform manual labor. Although come to think of it, I didn't even know you were the architect the day we met."

"Nope, you found out the next day. I remember because after I told you I was an architect you proceeded to grill me about my age, education and credentials." Emily laughed.

"I was just curious." Spencer laughed.

"Well, I'm definitely glad your curiosity got the best of you that afternoon."

"So am I."

 


	33. Chapter 33

The next morning, Veronica and Melissa were sitting in the kitchen having their morning coffee together before work.

"So...how long had you known that Spencer and Emily were seeing each other?" Veronica asked.

"I've known for a awhile."

"Did Spencer talk to you about Emily?"

"Only after I caught them kissing on the front porch one night. I confronted Spencer after Emily left and she pretty much had to tell me everything. You didn't freak out when Spencer told you, did you?"

"Not at all. I'm glad Spencer came out to me. It must have been so hard for her trying to hide who she really is. I feel so guilty for trying to push her to date all those boys from the club."

"It's not your fault though. You didn't know any better."

"I know, but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty."

"How do you feel about Spencer and Emily as a couple?"

"I wish Emily was a little closer to Spencer's age, but there's nothing we can do about that. Emily's a sweet kid and a hard worker, I can't fault Spencer for being attracted to her."

"Yeah. You haven't said anything to dad, have you?"

"Not a word and I'm not going to. If Spencer needs my help telling him, I'll certainly be there to support her, but I think it's important that she does it when she's ready."

"So do I. That's why I didn't say anything to you guys. Have you gotten to talk to Emily since you found out about them?"

"I talked to her for a few minutes yesterday morning, but she'll be at Spencer's hockey game on Friday, so I'm hoping we'll get to talk more."

"Maybe I'll tag along too. Wren's scheduled for the evening shift at the hospital and I know I really don't have the chance to make it to many of Spencer's school functions. You always forced her to come to mine."

"I think it'd be very nice if you came to support your sister. I'm so glad you and Spencer have been getting along."

* * *

Friday morning.

"Morning, honey." Veronica said, noticing Spencer walking into the kitchen as she packed a few file folders into her bag.

"Hi, mom. Are you still coming to my game tonight?"

"I'll be there. Is Emily still coming?"

"Yeah. She said she'd work through lunch so she could finish early enough to get to the school on time."

"Good. Your sister will be there too."

"Melissa's coming? Just remember you promised you wouldn't embarrass me in front of Emily."

"Your sister and I won't embarrass you."

"Okay. Just please be nice, Emily's a little nervous about tonight."

"Emily doesn't have anything to be nervous about."

"I know. I've tried telling her that, but it doesn't do any good...anyway, I really have to get to school. I'll see you tonight."

Spencer then picked up her backpack and rushed out the door. She got into her car and began to back out of the driveway, where she noticed Emily's truck pulling up in her rearview mirror. Emily parked her truck in the driveway and stepped out. She walked over to Spencer's Mercedes as Spencer put the window down.

"In a hurry?" Emily asked as she leaned down to Spencer's window.

"Kind of. I have a student council breakfast meeting before school."

"Can I at least get a kiss before you run me over?" Emily laughed.

"Sure." Spencer smiled. "But...first I'm glad you're here, I have something for you."

"Something for me?" Emily stepped back from the door of the car so that Spencer could get out.

Spencer then walked around to the back of her car and opened the hatch. She retrieved a white plastic bag and pulled out a navy blue Rosewood High Sharks t shirt.

"This is for you." Spencer said, handing Emily the shirt. "I forgot to give it to you yesterday. I would have just given you one of mine, but I figured you'd probably be more comfortable in something that actually fits you. Will you wear it to the game tonight?"

"You bet. Thank you."

"You can be an honorary Rosewood High Shark." Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand.

"I'd love to be a shark, especially if it means showing my support for the most beautiful hockey player I know."

Spencer smiled, placed her free hand behind Emily's neck and pulled her down for a kiss. Emily placed her hand on the small of Spencer's back and pulled her closer. Emily opened her mouth a little, deepening the kiss.

"I see you have enough time to kiss your girlfriend goodbye, but not your own mother." Veronica laughed, as she walked over to Spencer's car.

Emily blushed as she and Spencer separated, though Spencer was still holding onto Emily's hand.

"Morning Missus Hastings." Emily said, staring down at her boots, finding herself unable to look at Veronica. "I'm sorry..." Emily's tan skin was now a visible shade of red across her cheeks.

"Good morning." Veronica placed her index and middle fingers underneath Emily's chin and lifted her head until their eyes met. "And you don't have anything to apologize for...I'll see you later this evening."

"I'm looking forward to it." Emily smiled softly.

"So am I. Have a good day, girls." Veronica said before walking over to her own car and getting in.

"My mom totally loves you." Spencer said. "But, you're just way too cute when you're all shy around her."

"I just want her to like me and I don't think catching us making out will help my case at all. I don't want your mom to think I'm only interested in getting in your pants."

"She doesn't think that at all. Besides, we were hardly making out, just now. You didn't even slip me the tongue." Spencer laughed.

Emily only smiled slightly.

"Aw, come on, Em. Please don't put so much pressure on yourself. Just relax. Be yourself...Melissa's coming to my game too, so you can always talk her. I'll text her later and ask her to help you out if you happen to get a little stuck for conversation with my mom."

"Okay. That makes me feel a little better. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her. "Now, I really have to get going. I'm gonna be late."

"Okay." Emily opened Spencer's car door for her.

"I'll see you later." Spencer leaned in and kissed Emily before getting into her car.

* * *

"Sorry, we can't make it to your game tonight, Spence." Aria said, as she, Spencer and Hanna walked down the hall together.

"It's okay. I understand you guys have other stuff going on. Besides, I'll have Emily there."

"Emily's going to your game? That's so adorable." Hanna said.

"You want to talk about adorable, you should see her around my mom. She's so shy and soft-spoken. She's totally nervous about spending time with my mom. She asked me what kinds of things my mom likes so she could come up with some conversation topics. She's freaking out."

"Aw. Poor Emily. She just wants to impress your family." Hanna said. "She's sweet."

"Yeah and she obviously loves you a lot if she cares so much about making a good impression." Aria said. "At least your mom is okay with you guys being together."

"I know. I wish I would have told her sooner."

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily looked down at her watch, realizing that it was a little after five thirty.

"Okay, let's call it a day, guys." Emily said.

Emily then began packing up her tools.

"You wanna come out for a few beers with us, Em?" Mike asked.

"I can't. I'm going to Spencer's field hockey game tonight."

"Field hockey? Hot high school girls in short shorts chasing a ball around with a stick. Count me in." Mike said. "Sure beats happy hour."

"Sorry, dude, but you can't come with me this time. Spencer's mom and sister are going to be there. Spencer's kind of counting on this being a bonding experience between me and her family. I feel like it'd be a little hard for us to bond with you sitting there giving a play by play of which girls you would or wouldn't hook up with."

Ben and Chris both laughed.

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like something he'd do." Chris said.

"Good luck, Em." Ben said. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Thanks. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Emily then picked up her tool box and headed out to her truck. After placing her tools into the back of the truck, Emily opened the driver's side door and took the t shirt that Spencer had given her off of the seat. Emily pulled the t shirt she was currently wearing up over her head and tossed it onto the passenger seat. She slipped on the new shirt and got into her truck. Emily flipped her visor down and looked into the mirror at her own reflection. Emily pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in, she ran her fingers though her hair a few times before pulling it back into a ponytail once again.

"Well…here goes nothing." Emily took a deep breath, started her engine and pulled out of the Hastings' driveway.

 


	34. Chapter 34

"You ready for the game, Spence?" One of Spencer's teammates, a blonde girl, asked as she approached Spencer in the locker room.

"Definitely. We owe the Wildcats a good ass-kicking after what they did to us in the last game." Spencer said as she finished tying her shoe.

"I know. I still can't believe we lost that one."

"Me either. We have to win tonight, especially because my mom, my sister and my girlfriend are all coming to the game."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Yep."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?"

"I hardly told anyone. My parents didn't know that I was gay, so we kinda kept everything on the down low. My dad still doesn't know, but my mom does now."

"Well, who's your girlfriend? Does she go to Rosewood?"

"No. She's already graduated college. Her name's Emily. She's twenty three and she's an architect."

"Wow, you like them a little bit older, huh?"

"I guess I do." Spencer smiled.

"So...what's Emily look like? Is she cute?"

"She's totally gorgeous. She's six foot one with a really muscular build. She's like ridiculously toned all over. And she's tan, has black hair, dark eyes and the most adorable smile."

"Sounds sexy. You'll have to point her out. Now, what do you say we go warm up?"

"Let's go." Spencer grabbed her hockey stick and shut her locker door.

* * *

When Emily arrived at the school, she pulled into the parking lot to find that Veronica and Melissa were sitting in Veronica's car. Emily parked her truck next to Veronica's BMW and stepped out. Veronica and Melissa then got out of the car.

"Hi, Melissa. Hi, Missus Hastings."

"Hi, Emily." Melissa said.

"I see you're showing your shark spirit tonight." Veronica said, looking at Emily's t shirt.

"Oh, yeah. Spencer gave me the shirt this morning."

"Good...we should probably go find a seat before it gets too crowded."

Emily, Melissa and Veronica walked over to the bleachers on the side of the field. Emily motioned for Veronica to go first, which she did.

Emily then turned to Melissa.

"After you." Emily said.

"That's sweet, but I think you should really sit in the middle."

"Um, okay..." Emily swallowed audibly. "If you think so..."

Melissa noticed a worried expression cross Emily's face before she turned around.

"You'll be fine." Melissa placed her hands on Emily's shoulders from behind and gently nudged her forward.

Emily then followed Veronica up to the top row of bleachers and sat down. Emily, Melissa and Veronica looked for Spencer on the field. They spotted her near one of the goals, taking a few practice shots. After a few minutes, Spencer's team headed over to their bench as the opposing team took the field for a few minutes of practice.

"Is she here?" The blonde girl Spencer had been talking to in the locker room asked.

Spencer looked up toward the bleachers and scanned the crowd.

"Yep. Top row, near the middle." Spencer smiled and waved to Emily, who smiled waved back.

"She's super cute." Spencer's teammate said.

"Told you."

Emily sat rigidly in between Melissa and Veronica, hoping that the game would start soon.

"You know, I'm embarrassed to admit that I really don't know very much about you, Emily." Veronica said, turning toward the architect.

"It's okay. I'm not all that interesting."

"Spencer seems to think that you are. Now, I think I remember your résumé saying you graduated from college in Texas. Texas A and M, was it?"

"Close, it was Texas Tech."

"Oh, that's right. I remember my husband saying something about Texas Tech football when he saw that's where you went to school."

"My dad's a pretty big Red Raiders fan." Melissa said.

"Oh, really?" Emily said with a surprised tone.

"He loves college football." Melissa nodded.

"Did you play any sports?" Veronica asked, watching as the hockey game began on the field. "You look pretty athletic."

"Thank you. I was a competitive swimmer. I swam for Texas Tech on a scholarship. We went to the NCAA championships all four years I was in college and we finally took home a title my senior year."

"Sounds like you've been very busy."

"Yeah. I never had much free time during college. I was always in class or swimming or working."

"So...did you grow up in Texas?" Melissa glanced over at Emily.

"No, the time I was in college was the most I've ever lived in any one place. I was an Army brat. My dad's a Lieutenant Colonel so we were always having to move around to different Army bases when I was a kid."

"Your parents still live in Texas now, don't they?" Melissa asked. "I think I remember Spencer mentioning it before."

"They do. My dad works at the Fort Hood Army Base. He trains and supervises new recruits."

"What brought you all the way to Pennsylvania?" Veronica asked.

"A lot of things. Work mostly. I had a few referrals to clients in the Philadelphia area, so I thought why not move? You know, make a fresh start and try to make a name for myself. I felt like I needed a change of scenery anyway. I do miss my parents though."

"I'm sure they miss you too." Veronica said. "Do you get to talk to them often?"

"We keep in touch. I usually try to call my mom on Sundays after I get home from church."

"You go to church." Melissa's sentence came out as more of a question that a statement.

"I do. Every Sunday. Well, sometimes I'll go on Saturday evening if I know I'm going to be busy on Sunday. I promised my mom that I wouldn't stop going to church when I moved and I haven't."

Emily stared across the field as she watched Spencer gain control of the ball and take it down the field.

"I can't believe how fast Spencer is." Emily shook her head.

"No one can even keep up with her." Melissa added. "I guess that's why she's the captain."

"Is this the first of Spencer's hockey games you've been to?" Melissa asked.

"No, I made it to half of one before we started dating. She was a little bit upset about her dad having to miss the game, so I took a late lunch break and stopped by."

"That's very sweet of you." Veronica said. "No wonder Spencer likes you so much."

"We started seeing each other a couple of weeks later, but I haven't had a chance to get to any other games since then."

"So...where'd you guys go on your first date, anyway?" Melissa's eyes followed Spencer across the field as she shot the ball and scored the first goal of the game.

"Our official first date I took her to that Italian place in downtown Philadelphia. The one on Spruce street."

"Vetri." Melissa said. "I love that place. I've been trying to get Wren to take me there on a date for months."

"Maybe the four of you could go on a double date there sometime." Veronica chimed in.

"Sure. I think it'd be fun." Emily said.

"So…do have a lot of other jobs lined up after you finish our house?" Veronica glanced over at Emily.

"I just finished my design for the new strip mall that'll be built in Philadelphia this spring and I've got a few other smaller jobs lined up."

"Do you know what stores are going into the strip mall?" Melissa asked.

"I honestly have no idea. I only designed the building and sent the blueprints to the contractor. I don't know much beyond that. I'm not even working construction on it, but I'll let you know if I do hear anything."

"I have to say, I think it's so impressive how you can just look at a blue print and know exactly what to do to make the plans into a building." Veronica said.

"I guess we all have to be good at something." Emily smiled.

"Were you always naturally good at building things?" Veronica asked. "Or did you have to learn it?"

"It came pretty easy to me. My dad served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was away a lot and it was just me and my mom, so I kind of picked up on how to fix things around the house. I wanted to help. I knew having my dad away was so tough on my mom, I wanted to make things a little easier for her."

Emily looked up at the field just in time to see Rosewood score another goal.

"Two nothing already." Emily said. "Rosewood's really moving things along."

"What exactly is Spencer's position?" Veronica asked.

"She's the center midfielder, which is considered one of if not the most important position on the field." Emily said. "She's responsible for playing both defense and offense. She can go almost anywhere on the field. The midfielders are the players responsible for scoring the goals."

The crowd cheered as Spencer stole the ball from the opposing team and swiftly passed it to an open teammate on the other side of the field.

* * *

When the game had ended, Veronica, Melissa and Emily made their way down to the Sharks' bench to see Spencer.

"Hey, great game, Spence." Emily said. "You really knocked 'em dead out there."

"Thanks." Spencer leaned in and wrapped her arms tightly around Emily.

Emily took her hands out of the pockets of her jeans and returned the embrace.

"You were amazing out there, honey." Veronica placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "The other team never even had a chance. We should go celebrate your win. Are you hungry? We can go out for dinner."

"I'm starving." Spencer said. "Can we go over to The Grille?"

"Of course. Emily, honey, would you like to join us for dinner?" Veronica turned toward the architect.

"Please say yes." Spencer said, linking her arms around Emily's elbow and staring up at her.

"Sure. I'd love to come."

"Just let me take a quick shower and change clothes. I'll be right back."

Spencer reached up and kissed Emily's cheek before disappearing across the field to the gym.

* * *

When they got to the restaurant, Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand as they walked toward the front door. Emily opened the door and waited for Melissa and Veronica to walk in first.

"You first." Emily said, looking at Spencer.

Once Emily and Spencer had both walked inside, Spencer took Emily's hand again as they were shown to a table by a young man with dark hair and glasses.

"Here are some menus, your waitress will be with you in just a minute."

"Thank you." Veronica said as she pulled out one of the chairs and sat down.

Spencer sat down beside her mother and across from Emily as the architect took the seat next to Melissa.

"What's everyone having to eat?" Veronica asked.

"I'm dying for a burger a mountain of fries." Spencer said. "And maybe a milkshake."

Veronica laughed.

"Oh how I miss those days when I was young and didn't have to worry about what I ate."

A few minutes later, a young dark-haired, light skinned woman approached the table to take everyone's drink orders.

"I can't believe how amazing you were on the field today." Emily said, looking across the table at Spencer. "Scoring four goals is definitely something to be proud of."

"Thanks, Em. I'm so glad you got to see us win. We've been struggling a little bit lately."

"Apparently not today." Emily said.

"So…do you two have any plans for tomorrow?" Veronica asked, looking over at Spencer.  
"Not yet." Spencer said. "Maybe we could go to a movie or something."

"Sure. We can go to a movie after I get done working."

"You know, why don't you just go ahead and take tomorrow off, Emily?" Veronica said.

"Really?"

"Of course. You've been working so hard lately, I think you've earned a weekend off."

"Thank you very much, Missus Hastings, but are you sure Mister Hastings wouldn't mind?"

"He won't be back in town until Sunday night, he'll never know the difference."

"Thank you. That's so nice of you."

"Oh, Spencer, before I forget, next weekend you have a fitting for your bridesmaid dress." Melissa said. "It's Saturday at noon."

"Okay. I'll be there."

"You're coming to the wedding, aren't you, Emily?" Melissa asked.

"Uh, sure…if you want me to."

"Of course you're coming." Spencer said. "I need a date."

"Then I'll be there."

Spencer smiled, reached her foot out underneath the table and gently rubbed it up and down Emily's leg.

* * *

Later that evening, when the waitress brought the check over to the table Veronica picked up her purse and fished out her wallet.

"I'll get this." Emily said, picking up the bill.

"You don't have to do that." Veronica said. "We invited you."

"I want to." Emily said. "The last time I was here I tried to buy Spencer dinner and your husband swooped in and managed to ace me out of that."

"If you're sure…"

"I'm positive. It would be my pleasure." Emily pulled her wallet from her pocket and pulled out some money.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Veronica smiled warmly at the architect.

"You're welcome."

"If you don't mind, I'm just going to go use the restroom before we leave." Veronica stood up.

"Me too." Melissa said. "We'll be right back."

As Melissa walked past Spencer she leaned down to her sister's ear.

"FYI it's me you've been playing footsie with all night." Melissa said.

"God." Spencer blushed. "I thought that was Emily."

"Obviously." Melissa chuckled before following her mother across the restaurant.

"How did everything go at the game?" Spencer asked. "What did you guys talk about?"

"A little bit of everything. Sports, you and your mom asked me about myself. Everything went much better than I expected." Emily said. "I think I passed the mom interview."

"Aw, Em. I'm so glad." Spencer reached across the table and took Emily's hand. "I told you, you'd be fine. You're such a sweetheart."

"Only for you, Spence."

 


	35. Chapter 35

Early the next morning, Emily woke up and glanced over at the clock, next to her bed. It was six forty five am. She rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms above her head. Emily spent the next few minutes thinking about the night before. She was very thankful that everything seemed to have gone well and that Veronica seemed to like her.

Since Emily was already awake and Veronica had given her the day off, she decided to go out for an early morning run. Emily got out of bed and put on a pair of running shorts, she then slipped on a black tank top over the sports bra she had worn to bed. Emily walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of bright, multicolored Nike running shoes. She sat down on the bed, slipped her shoes on and tied them tightly. Emily then grabbed her phone as well as a pair of headphones before heading out the door.

For the next hour, Emily jogged at a leisurely pace, circling around Rosewood, before eventually ending up back at her apartment. Emily took a moment to catch her breath as she fished her house key out of her pocket. Emily unlocked her door and walked inside. She opened the refrigerator, where she pulled out a bottle of water. A moment later, she heard a knock at her door. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked through the living room. Emily opened the door to find her next door neighbor, a petite, attractive young brunette standing on the other side in a pair of shorts and a thin, spaghetti strap tank top.

"Hey, Gwen. What's up?" Emily asked.

"Hey, I really hate to bother you, but do you happen to have any coffee? My coffee maker just died and I'm in serious need of some caffeine before work."

"Sure. Come on in."

"Thank you so much." Gwen said, following Emily into the apartment.

"Why don't you go ahead and sit down?"

Emily then walked into the kitchen where she put some coffee on. After about five minutes, Emily filled two mugs with hot coffee, a splash of creamer and a little sugar. Emily walked into the living room and handed one of the mugs to Gwen before sitting down beside her on the couch.

"So...how have you been?" Emily asked. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been pretty good. How about you?"

"Not bad. I've been keeping busy with work and everything."

"That's good...you just get back from a run, huh?"

"Yeah. I have the day off work, so I went out for about an hour. Jogged around town. Took the scenic route."

"Out by the park?"

"Yep."

"I think I saw you out that way one day last week. Do you ever go to our apartment complex's gym?"

"Yeah. I try to go at least a couple of times a week, if I can."

"I want to start going to the gym again, but I really hate going alone."

"I don't blame you. A lot of creeps go to our gym. You're more than welcome to join me sometime, if you want."

"That'd be great, actually."

"Cool. I usually go in the evenings. Just call or text me some night, I'll let you know if I'm free."

"Sounds great. Thanks, Em."

"No problem. No douchebag guys will bother you if I'm with you. They tend to avoid me."

"Why's that?"

"Because I can lift more than most of them." Emily said, raising her coffee mug to her lips.

"I'm not surprised." Gwen laughed. "Look at you. I'd kill for arms like that."

"Thanks." Emily smiled.

A moment later, Emily's door opened and Spencer quietly walked in, carrying two paper coffee cups and a white paper bag, with her back toward Emily and Gwen.

"Hey, Em. You awake?" Spencer called out as she closed the door and turned around to see Emily sitting on the couch next to a girl she didn't recognize. "Oh...I didn't realize you had company over." There was a slight hint of irritation in Spencer's voice.

"Hey, Spence." Emily said.

"You got a roommate?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, no. She's my girlfriend. Spencer, this is my neighbor, Gwen...Gwen, Spencer."

"So you finally have a girlfriend?" Gwen smiled at Emily, before focusing her attention on Spencer. "Hi."

"Hello." Spencer said, shortly.

"So, what's up, Spence?" Emily asked.

"I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast since you have the day off...but I guess..."

"Listen, Em, thanks a lot for the coffee, I should really be getting ready for work." Gwen stood up, sensing that Spencer wanted to be alone with Emily.

"Okay."

"I'll give you a call, maybe sometime next week, see about hitting the gym."

"Sure. Just let me know. See ya, later."

"Bye. Nice meeting you, Spencer."

"You too." Spencer said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she set the coffee cups and bag that she was holding down on the table.

Spencer watched as Gwen walked over to the door and let herself out.

"Why are you going to the gym with her?" Spencer asked, defensively.

"She wants a work out buddy. That's all." Emily set her coffee mug down on the table.

"A work out buddy or a fuck buddy? She wants in your pants. I don't like it."

"I guarantee she's not into me at all. She's one hundred percent straight."

"Or so she says. What if you guys go to the gym together and she sees you like all hot and sweaty and wants to switch teams? What if she tries to make a move on you?"

"That's not going to happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Spence. It won't happen, okay? I know it won't because I tried to hook up with her when she first moved in and she turned me down. You don't have anything to worry about."

"She turned you down?" Spencer smirked, slightly.

"Yep. Shot me down hard, on three separate occasions. But, one of those times I was drunk…so I'm not sure if that counts…"

"You were into her enough that you tried to get with her three times?"

"She was the first girl I tried to hook up with after Stephanie broke up with me. I wasn't really looking for anything long term, I was just horny and kind of wanting a rebound...but nothing ever happened. Besides, she even gave me the whole 'you're really sweet, but I think we're better off as just friends speech,' which we all know is just code for 'you don't have a chance.'"

"Aw." Spencer laughed.

"You think rejection's funny?" Emily laughed as she reached up, grabbed Spencer's hand and pulled her down onto the couch.

"Only because it means I don't have to feel threatened by the cute girl next door."

"Spence. You never have to feel threatened. I love you. Simple as that." Emily pulled Spencer tightly against her chest, wrapping her arms around the brunette's body and kissing the side of her girlfriend's head.

Spencer leaned back and looked up at Emily. Spencer smiled and placed a hand behind Emily's neck as she pulled her down for a kiss.

"Why are you all sweaty, anyway?" Spencer asked when the kiss was broken.

"I went out for an early morning run."

"Well, I hope you worked up an appetite. You hungry?"

"Definitely. What did you bring?"

"Raspberry scones."

"Really?"

"Yep. Do you remember the morning you brought me raspberry scones for breakfast?"

"Of course I do. You know, by that time, I think I knew I liked you, but I was way too afraid to admit it to myself."

"Well...that morning I really wanted to kiss you in my living room, I kept trying to work up the nerve, but then your crew came in and ruined the mood."

"They have a tendency to be kind of loud and obnoxious sometimes." Emily laughed.

Spencer reached out and picked up the bag on the table. She pulled out one of the scones and handed it to Emily. Spencer also picked up one of the cups of coffee she brought and gave it to Emily.

"Thank you. So...what did you want to do today? We've got the whole day free."

"I was hoping maybe we could drive down to Philadelphia and spend the day together in the city."

"Sounds good to me. As soon as I'm done with my coffee, I'll shower and we can go."

"Okay." Spencer pulled a scone out of the bag for herself and leaned back, lying her head on Emily's chest.

* * *

Early that afternoon, Emily and Spencer arrived in downtown Philadelphia.

"So...what should we do?" Emily asked.

"I'm kind of getting hungry again. That scone wasn't enough. You want to have lunch in Love Park?

"Sure. Just let me see if I can find a parking spot near the plaza."

Once Emily parked the car, she and Spencer made a short walk down the street to Love Park.

"You want a cheese steak or something?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. There are a couple of food carts over there." Spencer pointed across the plaza.

"Cool. Let's go."

When they got to the front of the line, Emily ordered two cheese steaks, French fries and two bottles of water. She and Spencer then sat down on a bench near the fountain in the middle of the plaza.

"Have you ever been to Love Park before?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. When I was working downtown, sometimes I'd come eat lunch here."

"This is so nice." Spencer said, lifting a French fry up to Emily's mouth. "Just the two of us, getting to spend the day together, like this."

"I know." Emily said in between chewing. "Spending a gorgeous Saturday afternoon with a beautiful girl. I couldn't possibly ask for anything more." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer on the forehead.

As they ate, Emily and Spencer watched people make their way through the park. They saw a few tourists taking photos, some business people just stopping off for a quick lunch and even a few kids on skateboards, although skateboarding wasn't allowed in the park, but no one seemed to mind as they weren't bothering anyone.

"So...I'm not sure of this is childish or not...let me know if it is...but would you want to go to the zoo?" Spencer asked.

"I'd love to take you to the zoo. I don't think it's childish at all. I love animals. I've never been to the Philadelphia Zoo though, where is it?"

"It's only about fifteen minutes from here. On Girard avenue."

"Oh, okay. I know where that is."

When they had finished eating, Emily and Spencer picked up their trash and walked it over to a near by trash can.

"You ready?" Emily asked, holding her hand out to Spencer.

"Hold on a second...before we go, let's get someone to take our picture in front of the love sculpture." Spencer said, pulling her phone from her pocket.

Spencer took Emily's hand and pulled her over near the statue. Spencer spotted a younger man walking across the park with a woman who had a camera in her hand and was snapping photos of the park. Spencer assumed that they were tourists.

"Excuse me." Spencer said, approaching the couple. "Would you mind taking a photo of my girlfriend and I for us?"

"Not at all." The woman said, taking Spencer's phone.

Spencer and Emily walked over to the fountain and stood in front of the famous love sculpture. Emily placed her left arm around Spencer's waist. Spencer wrapped both of her arms around Emily's midsection and looked over at the camera.

"You two are so sweet together." The woman said as she snapped a photo. "How about one more?"

Spencer turned Emily's body so that they were both now facing each other. Spencer stood up on her toes to gain a little more height as she reached up to kiss Emily. Once the second photo was taken, Spencer thanked the man and the woman for their time and took her phone back. Spencer looked at the photos and smiled. She then began tapping on the screen.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked.

"Sending these pictures to my friends."

Upon sending the photos, Spencer received almost an immediate reply from Hanna.

Omg! You guys are so cute I can't even stand it! As soon as you come out to your dad and you can be Facebook official, you have to use one of those as your profile pic. So adorable. :D

Spencer quickly typed a reply and focused her attention back to Emily.

"Okay. Let's go." Spencer said as she reached down and laced her fingers with Emily's.

As they walked across the park, Emily and Spencer noticed a homeless man sitting on the ground near a bench, they were passing by. He had a long, gray, scraggly beard and held a cardboard sign that read: homeless vet please help.

Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out her last ten dollar bill. Without saying a word, she dropped it into the paper cup in the man's right hand.

"Thank you." The man looked up at Emily with a look of honest appreciation, obviously shocked by a person's kindness.

Emily just gave the man a small smile as she and Spencer continued walking.

"God bless you." The man said.

"So...the zoo takes debit cards, right? I'm out of cash." Emily said.

"God, Em. You honestly have the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever met in my whole life."

"I'll always have a soft spot for military veterans. Besides, he needs that ten bucks a hell of a lot more than I do."

"Just when I think you can't possibly be any more amazing, you always surprise me."

* * *

"Did you know that the Philadelphia Zoo was the first zoo in the U.S.?" Spencer asked, glancing over at Emily.

"Really?"

"Yep. It opened in eighteen seventy four."

"Wow. I had no idea it was that old."

"Oh look let's go over there." Spencer said pointing to her left. "That's where the giraffes are."

Spencer squeezed Emily's hand and drug her across the walkway to a savanna-like setting where four giraffes were leisurely eating the leaves off of a tall tree.

"I love giraffes." Spencer said. "They're my favorite. They're so interesting."

"They're beautiful animals. I love their spots."

"Me too. Each one has it's own unique coat pattern. And you know what's really weird about them?"

"What's that?"

"Giraffes have the same number of neck vertebrae that humans do. Seven."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. But theirs are obviously a lot bigger and they aren't connected to each other the way ours are, so they're a lot more flexible."

"That's so cool. I never would have guessed."

Spencer and Emily spent the next few minutes watching two baby giraffes chase each other around the enclosure.

"Let's see what animals are up next." Emily pulled a zoo map out of the back pocket of her jeans and unfolded it. "Looks like there are elephants just over there around the corner and zebras after that. So, what do you know about elephants?"

"Um…they have the longest gestation period of all mammals. Twenty two months."

"You're making that up."

"I am not." Spencer laughed. "It's true. I'll prove it to you."

Spencer pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed a Google search.

"See. I told you." Spencer said, showing Emily the phone. "Twenty two months."

"Holy crap. And humans complain about being pregnant for nine months." Emily laughed. "Imagine being pregnant for almost two years. That sucks."

"Do you mind if I stop by the restroom before we keep going?"

"Not at all. Go ahead. There's one over there, next to that gift shop. I'll wait here."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

When Emily came out of the bathroom, she was on her way back to Spencer when she decided to stop in the gift shop. Emily noticed a display of giraffe stuffed animals over on one of the shelves across the store. She picked one up, paid for it at the front counter and exited the shop. Emily concealed it behind her back as she made her way back to where Spencer was standing.

"Hey, there you are. I thought you got lost." Spencer said.

"Nope. I stopped to get you something."

"What?"

"This is for you." Emily held the stuffed giraffe to Spencer. "One camelopardalis..." Emily said, looking at the tag and reading the giraffe's scientific species name. "For your pleasure."

"Do you have any idea how dirty that sounds?" Spencer laughed.

"I don't think I meant for it to…but it kinda did, didn't it?" Emily laughed. "Oh well…here." Emily gave the stuffed animal to Spencer.

"You're so sweet. Thank you." Spencer leaned forward to kiss Emily.

"You're welcome." Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder as they continued walking to the next exhibit.

* * *

Later that afternoon, as Spencer and Emily neared the end of their zoo tour, they came up on the petting zoo section, where some different farm animals were out walking about the area. As they passed by, a black and white, fluffy lamb walked over to Emily and began rubbing its head on her leg.

"Aw. It likes you." Spencer said.

"Would you like to feed her?" One of the animal care takers, a tall, thin man with a thick beard asked as he walked over to Spencer and Emily.

"Sure." Emily said.

"Here." The man handed Emily a purple, plastic baby bottle filled with a milk-like formula.

Emily took the bottle and knelt down on one knee as she offered the bottle to the lamb, who happily accepted it and began drinking.

"What's it's name?" Emily asked, looking up at the caretaker.

"Her name's Dolly."

"Hi, Dolly. You're hungry, aren't you?" Emily gently stroked the top of the lamb's head as it continued to drink.

Spencer was completely love-struck as she watched Emily. Spencer was certain that she had never seen anything so adorable. Spencer quickly pulled out her phone and took a few pictures as the lamb finished what was left in the bottle. Once the bottle was empty, Emily handed it back to the man.

"Come pet her, Spence." Emily said.

Spencer walked over to Emily, reached down and scratched the lamb's head.

"She's so cute." Spencer said.

The caretaker reached into his pocket and handed some corn to Emily and Spencer to feed to the lamb.

"I'll be right back." The man said. "I'm going to go get some more food."

A few moments later a little boy, probably around four or five years old ran over to see the lamb.

"Can I feed it?" The boy asked, looking up at Emily.

"Hold out your hand." Emily said.

The boy opened his hand and Emily gave him some of the corn that she was holding.

"Like dis?" The boy said, holding his hand out flat to the animal.

"Just like that." Emily said.

"It tickles." The boy giggled when he felt the lamb's mouth take the food from his palm. "What's your name?"

"Emily. What's yours?"

"Alex."

"Where's your mommy?" Emily asked.

"Over der." He pointed to a woman who was with another small child, a young girl.

"Okay." Emily said. "Alex, I like your shoes." Emily looked down at the boy's black Converse All Star sneakers, the toddler version of the sneakers, she herself was wearing.

"We match." Alex said.

"High five." Emily said, holding her open palm up.

Alex smiled and banged his tiny hand against Emily's.

"All right." Emily smiled.

"Hi. Sorry." The boy's mother said, approaching Emily and Spencer as she carried her other child. "I just can't keep up with him today. I hope he hasn't bothered you."

"Oh, not at all. We're having fun here." Emily said.

"Say goodbye to your friends, Alex." The woman said as she took her son's hand. "We have to go find your daddy."

"Bye." The boy waved at Emily and Spencer before he and his mother walked away.

"You're so good with kids." Spencer said, placing her hand on Emily's back.

"I love kids." Emily smiled as she stood up.

Once Emily and Spencer had finished visiting the remaining animals, they began to make their way back to the car.

"What time is it?" Emily asked.

"About four thirty…so you wanna go to a movie…and not watch the movie?" Spencer smirked.

"Uh…yeah. Do you really need to ask?" Emily said.

 


	36. Chapter 36

Later that night, when Spencer and Emily arrived back at Emily's apartment, Emily parked her car next to Spencer's. They spent a few minutes sitting in Emily's car before getting out.

"Thank you for everything today." Spencer said, closing Emily's car door behind her. "I had an amazing time."

"Me too."

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tight. When they separated Emily gently brushed Spencer's hair away from her face and leaned down to kiss the brunette. Emily's hands planted themselves on Spencer's hips and Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders as the architect deepened the kiss.

Once the kiss was broken, Spencer pulled back and stared lovingly up into Emily's eyes as she took the architect's hand. They spent a few long moments not speaking.

"You should get home." Emily said, softly. "It's getting late. I don't want your mom to worry."

Spencer just nodded.

"Wait, I almost forgot." Spencer opened the passenger door of Emily's car and pulled out her stuffed giraffe from the seat.

"You definitely wouldn't want to forget that little guy." Emily smiled. "Drive safely and text me as soon as you get home."

Emily opened Spencer's car door for her.

"It's only across town, Em." Spencer said.

"I know. But, it's important that I always know you're safe when you're not with me. Okay?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Emily leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "Goodnight, Spence."

"Night." Spencer smiled and got into her car.

Emily closed the car door and watched Spencer drive away before turning and heading into her own apartment.

* * *

When Spencer arrived home, she pulled her phone from her pocket and texted Emily before getting out of the car. Spencer then walked across the driveway and up the porch steps. She opened the front door and walked into the living room, where she saw her mother sitting at the kitchen island, typing on her cell phone, with a cup of coffee near by.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, honey." Veronica looked up. "How was your day?"

"It was great. Emily and I spent the whole day together."

"What did you do?"

"Well...first, we had lunch together in Love Park, then we went to the zoo and Emily bought me this adorable giraffe and then we went to a movie. Thank you for giving Emily the day off. We had the best time."

"You're welcome. Emily deserved a day off. I'm glad you two had a nice time."

"Thanks for being so supportive of us. It means a lot to both Emily and I."

"As long as you two are happy together, then I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, mom." Spencer walked over to her mother and hugged her.

"You want some coffee or anything, sweetheart?"

"No thanks. I think I'm just gonna head upstairs."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Night, mom."

* * *

As Spencer slept, her mind was flooded with thoughts of Emily. It was early the next morning when Spencer's overactive mind took her to Emily's apartment, or more specifically Emily's bedroom.

"Listen, Spencer, are you sure about this?" Emily asked in a serious tone of voice. "We don't have to…"

"I'm sure." Spencer nodded. "I want to."

"Okay."

Spencer watched intently, her eyes never leaving Emily's body as the architect unbuttoned her own shirt and tossed it aside. Emily then pressed her lips to Spencer's as she gently laid the brunette down on the bed and climbed on top of her. As they kissed Emily's hands very slowly began undoing the buttons on Spencer's shirt.

"Em..." Spencer moaned into the kiss.

Spencer sat up, just enough for Emily to slid the shirt off of her shoulders and toss it away. Spencer shuddered at the feeling of Emily's hard, well-developed abdominal muscles, pressed against her skin.

Spencer suddenly became even more nervous as she felt Emily's hands slowly slide down her stomach and grasp the button of her pants. Spencer felt a sudden rush of heat flood over her cheeks, she knew that by this time her underwear would be soaked all the way through and she didn't want Emily to think that she was too anxious.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, feeling Spencer's body tense underneath her. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, Em. Please don't stop."

Emily smiled and made quick work of ridding the brunette of her pants. Spencer pulled Emily back down for a kiss. After a few minutes, Emily began kissing and lightly nipping at Spencer's neck as a hand made its way underneath the brunette's back. Spencer's hands slid up Emily's back, leaving random nail marks all over the area as Emily unhooked Spencer's bra and slid it off, quickly tossing it off of the bed. Spencer could see Emily's eyes wandering all over her body. Emily placed a few gentle kisses over Spencer's chest before slowly making her way down Spencer's abdomen, to the hem of her panties. Spencer silently cursed herself for not choosing a sexier pair of underwear this morning, but at the same time she knew Emily didn't care. Emily hooked her fingers into the waistband of Spencer's panties and slowly began pulling them downward. It was at that moment that Spencer's eyes snapped open. She was lying on her back clutching the stuffed giraffe Emily had given her, tightly to her chest.

"God damn it." Spencer groaned as she reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She set her giraffe on the bed next to her and closed her eyes again. Spencer replayed the dream over in her head. This wasn't the first time in recent weeks that Spencer had woken up completely unsatisfied after a dream about Emily. Over the past couple of weeks, Spencer had been finding herself thinking more and more about Emily and sex-whether she had been awake or asleep didn't matter, it seemed as though sex was a frequent subject on Spencer's mind. Of course she loved Emily, but that didn't make her any less nervous about her first time.

Spencer shifted her position on the bed as she felt a very familiar, uncomfortable throbbing sensation radiate between her legs. Spencer reached underneath her blanket and slipped her shorts off. She then slowly slid her right hand inside of her underwear. Spencer closed her eyes as she tentatively slipped two fingers into her own center and began rubbing herself in a slow circular motion, picking up speed as her arousal intensified. After a few minutes, Spencer began slightly thrusting her hips upward as she rubbed herself even harder. She was just about on the edge of climaxing when she was interrupted by the sound of the door knob turning, which served as the only warning to Melissa walking into the room a moment later.

Spencer immediately stopped moving and laid still, hoping that Melissa hadn't noticed any movement underneath the blanket. Spencer slowly slipped her hand out of her panties, rolled onto her side and pulled her blanket up over her shoulders. She yawed as if she had just woken up.

"Good, you're awake. Mom wants to know if you want to come to the club for breakfast with us. You can bring Emily if you want to."

"No thanks. I've got some homework I need to get done. Besides, I think taking Emily to the club before dad knows about us is a bad idea. There are way too many people who could accidentally blow our cover to him."

"Maybe you're right...I guess mom and I will get going then."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Melissa turned and walked out of the room.

Spencer then heard her phone chime. She reached over to the nightstand and picked up her phone to see that she had a text from Hanna.

Hey. Wanna hang out?

Sure. I've got some homework to do though, so come over later this afternoon.

Okay. See you then.

Spencer set her phone back down on her nightstand and let out a loud sigh. By now, having lost absolutely all of her previous state of arousal, Spencer decided to get up and take a shower.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Spencer was sitting on her bed, reading something on her laptop when Hanna walked in.

"Hey, Spence."

"Oh, hey Han." Spencer said, obviously startled by Hanna's presence.

Spencer quickly shut her laptop and stood up, the movement knocking her stuffed giraffe off of the bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Hanna said. "Your mom let me in."

Hanna walked over to the bed and picked up the giraffe.

"Where'd you get this?" Hanna asked, giving the animal back to Spencer.

"Emily got it for me. We went to the zoo yesterday."

"Aw. That's sweet."

"Yeah. We had a great time. You should have seen Emily bottle-feed this little lamb...it was adorable...hold on I have a picture."

Spencer pulled out her phone, found the picture and showed it to Hanna.

"Aw. How cute is she?"

"I know. She's amazing." Spencer smiled.

"What else did you guys do yesterday?"

"After we left the zoo, we went to a super lame movie and spent practically the whole hour and a half making out in the back row. I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out."

"Hot. Is Emily a good kisser?"

"Yeah. Really good, actually."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me...so how did the whole quality time hockey outing between Emily and your mom go?" Hanna sat down on the bed.

"It was great. We all went to dinner after the game. Emily was, of course, sweet and charming, she was still a little nervous around my mom, though."

"But, your mom likes her and everything, right?"

"Yeah. She seems to. And Emily didn't have any complaints at all about Melissa or my mom, so I assume everything went well between them during the game."

"I don't really know how anyone couldn't like Emily. She's so nice."

"I know. My mom's been so supportive since the minute I came out to her. Even Melissa's been pretty cool. I can't believe I waited so long to tell my mom about Emily and I."

"You were trying to protect Emily. Just in case for some reason your mom wouldn't have been so chill about you and Ms. Fix it dating, but it looks like everyone's on team Spemily, you just have to get your dad on board."

"Team what?" Spencer said.

"Spemily. Spencer plus Emily equals Spemily, that's your couple nickname. Duh, Spence."

"We have a couple name." Spencer smiled.

"So...have you thought about how you're gonna tell your dad?"

"I've thought about it, but I still don't know what to say. I think I should probably just sit him down and tell him the truth, but I don't know if I should like tell him I'm gay first, let that sink in, then tell him about Emily…"

"You told your mom everything all at once, right?"

"Yeah. I came out to her and she was cool with it, then I couldn't stop myself, everything about Emily just sort of spilled out."

"I think you should tell your dad the same way. Just rip the Band-aid off. Get it over with as fast as possible and deal with everything all at once. I think it'll be easier."

"Maybe you're right. I'll have to think about it. I just don't want my dad to end up being mad at Emily. She didn't do anything wrong."

"You can always just blame your dad for hiring a hot architect. If he had hired an ugly one, nothing would have ever happened." Hanna laughed.

"I'm not sure if that'll work, but I'll keep it in mind for a defense tactic." Spencer laughed. "So...how was your date with Caleb last night?"

"Pretty good. We just went to dinner at The Grille and a movie with Noel and Aria. I'm surprised we didn't run into you guys at the theater."

"We were in Philly most of the evening. When we left the zoo, since we were already in the city we decided to just go to a movie there before heading back to Rosewood."

"Aria and I should have tagged along with you and Emily. Caleb and Noel were so embarrassing at the movies, they like took these really geeky pictures of each other with one of the Iron Man displays…like those cardboard cut out things."

"Oh my God." Spencer laughed.

"Yeah so Aria and I just went into the theater by ourselves so they had to come find us and we made them buy us extra snacks for being embarrassing. Oh and then this morning I saw Caleb changed his Facebook profile picture from one of me and him to the one Noel took of him and stupid Iron Man. Seriously, what the hell?"

"I wanna see it." Spencer laughed.

"Can I use your computer?"

"Sure." Spencer picked up her laptop and gave it to Hanna.

"I'll have to bitch at him later to change his picture back. I'm way cuter than some super hero in a metal suit."

Hanna opened the laptop and the screen came to life. Spencer then realized that she hadn't closed the webpage that she had been looking at when Hanna had walked in. Spencer quickly reached for the keyboard to close the tab, but Hanna had already seen what was on the screen. The page happened to be an article about various lesbian sexual techniques.

"Spence. You and Emily haven't done it, yet...have you?" Hanna asked, looking over at Spencer.

Spencer's face turned bright red as she put her head down.

"No. Don't you think I would have told you if we had?"

"Well...it seems like you're thinking about it."

"Yeah. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been on my mind a lot, lately. Like this morning, I had a dream about Emily and I in bed together. I mean I used to have dreams like that a lot when I first met Emily, then they kind of tapered off, but now it's been happening again…like a lot and I always wake up just before the best part."

"Don't you hate that? Then you have to take care of "the situation." Hanna made air quotes. "Before you can get up and do anything else. Or at least I always need to."

"Yeah well, Melissa almost walked in on me "taking care" of that situation this morning."

"Awkward. Did she say anything to you?"

"No. I stopped before she saw anything."

"So...if you're having a lot of wet dreams about Emily, maybe it means you actually want to do it with her for real."

"I'm pretty sure I want to...I'm just really nervous, you know? What if I'm bad? What if Emily doesn't like it?"

"Nobody doesn't like it, Spence." Hanna laughed. "Besides, I think you'll probably find yourself on the receiving end of things to start. Just let Emily take control and use what ever she does as a guide. Oh and don't be a starfish. No one likes a starfish."

"What's a starfish?" Spencer asked.

"Someone who just lays there and doesn't move or do anything during sex. It's boring."

"Great. I have to think about whether or not I'm moving enough? I don't want Emily to think I'm boring...Now, I'm even more nervous."

"Relax. I think everyone is at least a little bit nervous about losing their virginity."

"I know, but Emily has so much more experience and I don't even know where to start, so I have to read stuff on the internet. It's embarrassing."

"No, it's not. You're just a perfectionist and a planner. You want to be prepared. There's nothing wrong with that. You want me to talk to Emily? I could try to find out what she likes to do in bed..."

"Oh God, no." Spencer answered quickly. "That's way too awkward, but thanks."

"Okay. I understand."

"Han...how do I know if I'm like really ready for this? I mean I'm eighteen now, I feel like I should be..."

"Age doesn't have anything to do with it, but I don't think anyone really knows that they're one hundred percent ready. It kind of just happens."

"I guess..."

"Listen, Spence, I think it's so awesome that you've held out for true love, I know it's not easy and I know you've been waiting for your knight in shining armor and honestly, I think Emily's it. She's perfect for you. She's so sweet. I don't know that you could find a better girl."

"I know. I love Emily. She's everything I've ever wanted and she's been so patient with me and my wanting to wait."

"She obviously loves and respects you a lot. I'm not trying to tell you want to do. It's completely up to you, but no one will judge you if you decide to sleep with her. You guys love each other, there's nothing wrong with expressing that, physically. Besides, it's not like whole world has to know if and when you do it. It should be between you and Emily. You don't even have to talk to me or Aria or Alison about it, if you don't want to. Try not to worry so much about everything. Just relax and go with the flow, when the right time comes, you'll know. But, definitely expect for things to be a little bit awkward. First times pretty much always are."

"Thanks, Han. I feel a lot better."

"Glad I could help."

* * *

Later that evening.

Spencer went downstairs and walked into the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner.

"Spencer, honey, can you set the table for me, please?"  
Veronica asked.

"Sure…is dad going to be home for dinner?"

"No. I just got off the phone with him." Veronica said. "It looks like they're having some bad storms up in New York and his flight got cancelled. The next available flight back to Pennsylvania is for tomorrow at seven p.m. So I guess he'll be stuck in New York until tomorrow night."

"What's he going to do until tomorrow?" Spencer asked, pulling some dishes out of the cabinet.

"Probably just find a hotel and spend the night watching sports on TV and ordering one of everything from the room service menu." Veronica said.

"Well…I guess when you put it that way, it doesn't sound quite so bad." Spencer laughed.

"I'm sure he's secretly glad." Veronica chuckled.

"Probably…what are we eating anyway?" Spencer asked.

"I made chicken. Can you go to the barn and tell your sister and Wren that dinner's just about ready?"

"Can I just text Melissa?"

"Why? Are your legs broken?" Veronica asked, pulling a pan of chicken from the oven.

"No…but what if they're like…doing it or something. I don't want to see that."

"That's why we should knock first." Veronica said. "Especially with five people living here."

"Yeah? Someone should really tell Melissa that." Spencer mumbled.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"Nothing, mom. I'll be right back."

"Okay. Thank you."

 


	37. Chapter 37

On Monday morning, Emily arrived at the Hastings' house to find Veronica on her way out the door.

"Good morning, Missus Hastings."

"Good morning, Emily. How are you doing today?"

"Pretty well. And yourself?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm glad I caught you before I left..."

"You are?"

"Yes. I have a check for you." Veronica reached into her bag and handed Emily her paycheck.

"Thank you, but I'm still working for the rest of the week. I'm not supposed to finish the job and get my last paycheck until Friday."

"I know, but I can trust you to do the work, so I figured I'd just write you a check now. It'll be easier than waiting around for my husband to do it."

"Well, thank you very much."

"You've certainly earned it, sweetheart. I need to get to my office, I'll talk to you later."

"Have a good day."

"You too, thanks."

A moment later, Spencer walked across the yard and over to Emily.

"Hey, Em." Spencer said, approaching her girlfriend.

"Hey." Emily leaned down to kiss Spencer.

"What were you talking to my mom about?"

"Oh, she was just giving me my paycheck."

"I can't believe you'll only be working here four more days after today. I've gotten so used to having you around all the time."

"I know, but I'll be doing less construction work and more design work, so my schedule will be a little bit more flexible."

"Good. I was actually hoping maybe you'd come with me to get fitted for my bridesmaid dress on Saturday. Melissa has a second fitting for her wedding dress too, so I was thinking maybe we could all go out to lunch afterward or something."

"Um, sure, if you want me there."

"Of course I do."

"All right. I'll go."

"Thanks, Em...I gotta get to school. I'll see you this afternoon."

"Okay. See ya later." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer goodbye.

Before getting into her car, Spencer waved to Emily's crew members, who were pulling into the driveway.

"Hey, Em." Mike said as he got out of the car along with Ben and Chris.

"Hey. You guys ready to get to work?" Emily asked, pulling her tool belt out of her truck.

"Ready when you are, boss." Mike said.

"So, Em, looks like things are going pretty well between you and Spencer. " Chris said.

"Yeah. Really well."

"I wanted to ask...you think your girl would allow you hang out with us this weekend?" Mike asked. "We were thinking of going to Hooters for the Flyers game, then checking out that new club that just opened up outside of town."

"Isn't that a place a strip club?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. So?" Ben said, nonchalantly. "I know strippers don't bother you, you've gotten a lap dance before."

"Yeah, on my birthday, which I seem to remember specifically telling you guys no strippers."

"Don't act like you weren't into it." Mike laughed. "You know you liked it."

"Yeah, well, I was single then. I'm not now and I really don't think Spencer would appreciate me going to Hooters, much less any strip clubs. Besides, I already have plans, I just agreed to go to Spencer's bridesmaid dress fitting for her sister's wedding..."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. She's got you so whipped, dude." Mike laughed.

"I'm not whipped. I just like to make her happy, that's all."

"Whipped." Emily's crew laughed in unison as they looked at each other.

"Okay. Maybe just a little..." Emily said. "But, I do stuff for her because I want to, not because she makes me."

"Good." Chris said. "You let yourself become a total doormat for Stephanie. I don't want to see you get into that type of a situation again. Especially because Spencer's so young."

"It's definitely not like that at all with Spencer. She's a lot more mature at eighteen than Stephanie ever was the whole time we were together." Emily said as she and her crew began walking across the yard.

"So..." Mike said.

"So, what...?" Emily looked over at him.

"Speaking of Spencer...you hit that, yet?"

"Nope."

"Geez, Em. You guys have been dating for what, close to two months now?" Mike said. "And you still haven't fucked, how is that even possible?"

"I told her that when she's ready, she'd have to make the first move. Apparently, she hasn't felt ready to go there with me, yet."

"You've definitely got a lot of will power." Ben said. "I think I'd be going crazy by now."

"It's not like it's been easy for me." Emily said. "I usually feel like I need a cold shower after every time we make out."

"You've got a serious case of blue balls." Mike said. "Why don't you just like ask Spencer to give you a hand job or something? You know, to take the edge off."

Emily just stared at Mike.

"What? It's better than having to give yourself one. You guys wouldn't even have to be naked. She gets you off, you feel better, she's still a virgin. Everyone's happy."

"I can't ask her that. You don't ask for a hand job, it just happens." Emily rolled her eyes. "Besides, I said in the beginning I wasn't going to pressure her into anything and I won't, I love her too much. She wants our first sexual experience together to be special. She wants romance. And I'll do what ever I can to make sure she gets that, even if it means having to work through a little bit of sexual frustration."

* * *

It was early evening when Emily and her crew had finished working for the day. Emily was busy packing up her truck when Spencer walked across the driveway.

"You all done for the day?" Spencer asked.

"Yep. Just finished."

"Did you take a break for lunch?"

"Yeah, but I didn't have time to eat. I spent the entire half hour picking up the new carpet for the addition. The store couldn't find the order. I don't know how you could miss a giant roll of carpet, but what do I know?"

"Aw. Poor thing, you're probably starving. Come inside, I'll make you something." Spencer said, linking her fingers through two of the belt loops on Emily's jeans.

"Won't your dad be home from work soon?"

"He's still in New York. His fight got cancelled yesterday and he couldn't get another one until later tonight."

"Cool...not that his flight got cancelled, but that I get to spend time with you."

"I know what you meant." Spencer smiled and reached up to kiss Emily. "Now...how do you feel about grilled cheese?"

"Sounds great."

"Come on." Spencer took Emily's hand as they both walked across the yard.

* * *

Later that evening, Emily and Spencer were sitting at the kitchen island when Melissa walked into the house.

"Hi, Emily."

"Hey, Melissa. How's it goin'?" Emily asked.

"Good, thanks. You?"

"Great."

"Hey, Spence, have you seen my blue plaid Burberry pea coat anywhere?"

"Um, yeah...it's in the upstairs hall closet, I think."

"Thanks." Melissa said as she disappeared up the stairs, returning a few moments later with the coat in her hand.

"What do you need a wool coat for? it's not even that cold." Spencer said.

"Not here, but my company's sending me to a conference in Boston. It's supposed to be cold, maybe even snow a little."

"That's the north east for you." Emily said, raising her glass of water to her lips. "Barely November and already looking at snow. I'm glad all we've got right now is rain."

"So am I." Melissa agreed.

"How long are you gonna be in Boston?" Spencer asked.

"Just a couple of days. My flight leaves at six a.m. tomorrow morning. I'm staying at hotel near the airport tonight, but, I'll be back Friday evening, in time to go to my dress fitting on Saturday. Emily, are you coming with Spencer and I? I told her to ask you."

"She did ask me and yes, I'll be there."

"Good."

"What color bridesmaid dresses did you end up picking?" Emily asked.

"They're light blue with some white accents. Maybe when we're finished with the fitting, we can find you something to wear to match Spencer's outfit."

"Sure. Sounds good." Emily nodded.

"I'm gonna have so much fun playing dress up with you." Spencer laughed as she ran her fingers through Emily's hair.

Emily just rolled her eyes.

"You know, you don't exactly strike me as the dress and heels type." Melissa said.

"I'm not, really. I'm kinda tall for heels and I think dresses make me look awkward, I have really broad shoulders. But, I'll wear what ever you guys pick out for me, it's your wedding, I definitely won't argue."

"You can wear a suit." Melissa said. "We'll find you something both nice and comfortable."

"You're a saint." Emily looked up at Melissa with a relieved expression on her face.

"Let's not go too far." Spencer laughed. "Saint might be pushing it."

"Whatever." Melissa rolled her eyes. "I need to go finish packing."

"Do you need like a ride to your hotel or anything?" Emily asked.

"My fiancé's going to take me as soon as he gets home. Thanks for the offer, though."

"No problem. Have a good trip."

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later."

Melissa then turned and walked out of the house.

"Well, I guess I should probably headed home." Emily said. "Thanks for feeding me."

"You're welcome. I'll walk you out."

Spencer and Emily both got up and walked toward the front door.

"See you tomorrow morning." Spencer said.  
"I'll be here." Emily said, she and Spencer lingering in the doorway and making no real effort to move.

Emily placed one of her hands on the side of Spencer's face and leaned down to kiss her. Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest as the architect deepened the kiss. After holding the kiss for a few long moments, Emily pulled away.

"Text me later?" Spencer asked, when the kiss was broken.

"You can count on it." Emily smiled.

Emily then leaned down and kissed Spencer one more time.

"Goodnight, Spence. I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful driving home."

"I will."

Spencer slowly slid her hand down Emily's chest, over her stomach and grabbed the architect's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go and watching Emily walk back to her truck.

 


	38. Chapter 38

Later that night, Spencer was sitting in the living room watching the last period of the Flyers game with her father.

"You two are still watching hockey?" Veronica said, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Of course." Peter said. "Baseball season's over, what else are we supposed to watch?...Do you have your bags all packed?"

"Just about." Veronica said.

"You're going somewhere?" Spencer asked, looking up at her mother.

"Pittsburgh." Veronica said. "I have a meeting with a client...I'm going upstairs. Goodnight."

"Night, mom."

"Don't stay up too late." Veronica patted her husband's shoulder as she walked by.

"I guess we're gonna have to fend for ourselves with both your mother and sister gone, huh sport?" Peter laughed, placing his arm around his daughter.

"I guess so." Spencer laughed.

* * *

"I should probably be heading upstairs." Spencer said, standing up from the couch, when the hockey game ended. "I think I'll read a little bit before bed."

"All right. Goodnight, Spence." Peter said.

"Night, dad."

Spencer then disappeared up the stairs and to her room.

Peter was about five minutes into the local nightly news broadcast when he heard a cell phone chime. He pulled his own phone out of his pocket, but there didn't seem to be any new notifications. A moment later he noticed Spencer's phone sitting on the coffee table, face down. Peter stood up and picked up the phone to take it upstairs to his daughter. The phone then chimed a second time in Peter's hand. He glanced down at the screen to see that Spencer had two new text messages. The messages were from Emily, who Spencer had listed in her contacts simply as 'Emily,' with two pink heart icons on either side of the name. Peter stared at Spencer's lock screen behind the text notification at the phone's wallpaper. It was a photo collage. He immediately recognized Emily Fields in two of the photos with his daughter. One photo was of Spencer with her arms wrapped around Emily as they posed in front of the fountain in Love Park. The other was of Spencer and Emily kissing in front of the very same fountain. Peter stared at the screen, not blinking for a few long moments, he couldn't even believe what he was seeing.

"Hey, dad, have you seen my phone?" Spencer asked, walking back downstairs.

Peter didn't immediately speak, but only turned around with the phone in his right hand. Spencer noticed a look of anger in her father's eyes.

"You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do." Peter pressed the power button on the phone, bringing up the lock screen again, as he handed the phone to his daughter.

"Dad...I..." Spencer was a at a complete loss for words.

"What exactly is going on, Spencer?" Peter said, sternly. "I want the truth and I want it right now."

Spencer closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Emily and I have been seeing each other...okay? You weren't supposed to find out like this..."

"The whole time she's been working here, you two have been screwing around and lying to your mother and I." Peter said, angrily, his eyes never leaving his daughter.

"Not the whole time..."

"Veronica!" Peter's voice rang out through the house.

"Mom already knows and so does Melissa."

"You're not to see Emily again." Peter snapped. "She's done here. As of tomorrow morning, she's fired."

"You can't do that." Spencer spat back.

"I'll do what ever I damn well please in my house…I can't believe this. She's too old for you..."

A moment later, Veronica appeared on the staircase.

"What is all the yelling about?" Veronica asked, tightening the belt of her robe around her waist as she walked down the stairs.

"You knew Spencer was having a relationship with our architect and you didn't tell me?" Peter yelled, unable to control the volume of his voice.

"First of all, you need to calm down." Veronica said.

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Peter snapped. "Emily was hired here to do a job, which I paid her good money to do. I'm not paying her to hit on my daughter. This is totally unprofessional and inappropriate. I'm not allowing it."

"Don't blame Emily." Spencer said, a few tears welling up in her eyes. "If you're going to blame someone, blame me. I'm the one who went after her. She didn't do anything wrong."

"I don't even care who started it. Either way, she's old enough to know better. Acting on any advance you made was the wrong thing to do."

"Spencer, honey, go up to your room. Let your father and I talk about this." Veronica said, calmly.

Spencer wiped a tear from her eye and walked up the stairs, stopping when she was out of sight, but still in ear shot of her parents, on the top landing of the staircase.

"Peter. Why are you so upset? What's really bothering you about all of this?" Veronica asked. "Is it because Emily's a woman? Are you upset because Spencer is gay?"

"Emily's lucky she's a woman. If it had been a twenty three year old man screwing around with my eighteen year old daughter, he'd be dead right now. How long has this been going on?"

"Probably close to two months, now. But, I only found out about two weeks ago."

"Part of the reason I hired a female architect was so that I wouldn't have to worry about any men trying anything with my daughters. Besides that, Emily is entirely too old for Spencer and I don't want them seeing each other."

"I'm not exactly thrilled that Emily's five years older either, but she's a sweet kid, who treats our daughter with love and respect..."

"She lied to us, Veronica. Both of them did."

"Can you blame them? Spencer was afraid to tell you the truth. She was only trying to protect Emily. She thought you'd overreact and fire her."

"I'm not overreacting, but she's damn right Emily's getting fired. I thought she was a professional, but obviously I misjudged her. We can't trust her. When Emily walks through that door tomorrow morning, I'm firing her and that's final."

"You can't fire her." Veronica said. "I already paid her for the rest of the job."

"Why would you do that? That gives a person absolutely no incentive to finish a job on time or to do it right."

"Despite what you think, I trust Emily and I know she'll take care of everything."

"Fine. Then, I'm going to be here every day for the rest of the week, until the job is done so that I can keep an eye on Emily, I don't want her and Spencer alone together."

"Peter, you're being ridiculous, not to mention completely unreasonable."

"No, I'm not. What kind of father would I be if I let my high school daughter date a construction worker?"

"She's an architect and a perfectly respectable person, who you liked just fine until a few minutes ago. You've been raving about her to everyone since she started working here."

"That was before I knew she was messing around with my daughter. You know how construction workers are, who knows what goes through their filthy little minds. They think about one thing and one thing only. I don't want Spencer to be the object of that."

"Don't stereotype Emily. She's not like that at all. The girl goes to church every Sunday and she even calls you 'sir.' You're worrying for no reason, they aren't having sex."

"How the hell would you know?" Peter snapped.

Veronica narrowed her eyes, slightly taken aback by her husband's tone.

"Spencer and I had an open, honest discussion. I asked if she and Emily were sexually active, she told me they aren't."

"And you believe that? Do you really think she'd tell you if they were?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Spencer feels like she can be honest with me because I've treated this situation with sensitivity and understanding. She could have used a little of both of those things from her father tonight. You could try being supportive. Your youngest daughter just came out to you and you respond by losing your temper, yelling at her and telling her she's not allowed to see her girlfriend. Kids get emotionally scarred over things like that, Peter."

"I don't know how you can be so accepting. If Spencer's gay, that's fine, but I will not allow this relationship to continue. Not in my house."

"You can't force them to break up. You realize that's only going to make Spencer hate you and drive her closer to Emily. You can't help who you fall for. At least Spencer is with someone who respects her and treats her well. Those relationships aren't as easy to come by nowadays. We've always taught our girls to be passionate and confident and to go after what they want. We don't have any right to be angry at Spencer for doing just that."

"Clearly we aren't going to see eye to eye on this matter." Peter said, indifferently.

"Why don't you sleep on it. Maybe things will look differently in the morning."

"How can you tell me to sleep? I'm too angry to sleep." Peter said, pacing about the room.

"Fine. Stay up and be angry. I'm going to go upstairs and try to comfort our daughter, who's probably up in her room crying her eyes out right now. Feel free to come up and apologize to her, but if you decide not to, don't bother coming to bed."

Veronica then walked out of the room and headed upstairs.

* * *

Upon hearing Veronica's footsteps on the stairs, Spencer turned and headed into her room. She sat down on her bed and wiped away a few tears as they slipped down her cheek.

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be fine." Veronica sat down next to her daughter and brushed a stray stand of hair away from her face.

"It's not fair, mom." Spencer sobbed. "Emily's been nothing but sweet to me the entire time I've known her and now dad hates her. This is all my fault."

"It's nobody's fault, Spencer. I think your father's just going to need some time to adjust to the idea of you and Emily as a couple...what made you decide to tell him, tonight?"

"I didn't. I left my phone downstairs by accident and he found it. He saw a picture of Emily and I on it. Mom...you can't fly to Pittsburgh tomorrow. Please don't go. You can't leave me alone with dad."

"I have to go, I can't get out of this meeting, but I won't be gone for long. I promise you, everything will be okay." Veronica hugged her daughter and gently began stroking her hair.

"Emily's gonna be so mad at me." Spencer said as she clung tightly to her mother.

"This isn't your fault and it's not Emily's fault either. Your father will come around. I don't think Emily's going anywhere."

"I need to call her...I can't let her blindly walk in here tomorrow morning, thinking everything's fine."

"I think that's a good idea. Tell her not to worry, I'm not letting your father fire her."

"Thank you for being so supportive of us. It means a lot to me." Spencer leaned forward and hugged her mother again. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll give you some privacy so you can call Emily. I'll probably be gone before you wake up tomorrow, but I'll be back as soon as I can. We'll get everything straightened out with your father. Don't stress yourself out about it."  
"Thanks, mom."

Veronica smiled at her daughter and placed her thumb over the indentation in Spencer's chin, before leaning forward and kissing her daughter on the forehead. Veronica then stood up and walked out of the room.

Spencer picked up her phone and quickly called Emily's number. After waiting three rings, Emily picked up.

"Hey, Spence. What's up?" Emily said.

"Em…we need to talk."

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked, concerned that Spencer's voice sounded weak and frail.

"Please don't get upset, but my dad accidentally found out about us…"

"Oh God." Emily panicked. "How'd he take it?"

"Not very well. He wanted to fire you, but my mom wouldn't let him. He doesn't want us to see each other. He said he's gonna be home for the rest of the week so he can keep an eye on you, because he doesn't want us to be alone together. Em…I'm so sorry…"

Spencer's sentences ran together and Emily could tell that she was crying.

"Spence, calm down. Don't cry, you don't have anything to be sorry for. Your dad was bound to find out sooner or later. Things will definitely be awkward tomorrow, but I'll get through it. I love you and I'll make sure your dad knows that. Nothing is going to keep me away from you. I promise."

Emily's voice was calm, but her heart was racing a mile a minute in her chest.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do. There's nothing your dad can do to me that would change the way I feel about you, so don't you dare worry your pretty little head about it. Not even for a minute."

"I love you so much, Em."

"I love you too. Why don't you try to get some sleep? You do still have school tomorrow, you know."

"I'll try, but I don't know how much sleep I'll actually get."

"You have to sleep. How else are you supposed to dream about me?" Emily laughed.

Spencer let out a slight chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Sweet dreams, Spence…goodnight."

"Night, Em."

Once Emily had ended the call, she tossed her phone on to her bed and sat down. Emily rested her elbows on her knees and placed her chin in her hands. She stared straight ahead at the wall in front of her.

"God, I'm so screwed." Emily sighed.

* * *


	39. Chapter 39

Early the next morning, Spencer went downstairs where she saw a few pillows and a blanket messily strewn about the living room couch. It appeared as though her father had spent the night on the couch. Spencer walked into the kitchen and made herself some coffee, she hoped getting some caffeine in her body would help her get through the day a little bit easier. Spencer sat down at the kitchen island drinking her coffee and waiting for Emily to show up. She heard her phone chime for the fourth time this morning. Spencer noticed that she had another new message from Hanna, none of the previous three messages had be returned and this one would also go unanswered, as Spencer was much too wrapped in her thoughts of Emily to even read the texts.

A few minutes later, Peter walked into the kitchen, rubbing the base of his neck with one of his hands, Spencer assumed he now had a painfully stiff neck, she knew first hand from falling asleep on the couch numerous times and waking up with sore muscles how uncomfortable the couch was to sleep on.

"Shouldn't you be getting to school?" Peter asked as he opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a bottle of extra strength pain reliever.

"I'm waiting for Emily."

"No, you're not. She has a job to finish here and from now on, that doesn't involve you. Go to school, Spencer." Peter snapped.

It always made Spencer a little uneasy when her father raised his voice to her.

"Fine." Spencer gave her father a cold stare as she stood up and picked up her cell phone.

"You know what? Before you leave, give me your cell phone." Peter said, using a very stern tone of voice. "I don't want you having any sort of contact with Emily at all."

"You can't take my phone. It's mine."

"The last time I checked, I paid the bill, not you. Give it to me, now."

"What if there's an emergency and I need it?"

"I'm sure one of your friends will let you borrow one of their phones." Peter said, coldly as he reached out and took the phone out of Spencer's hand.

Spencer watched as Peter turned the phone off and shoved into his shirt pocket.

"You'll be home immediately after school is over." Peter's sentence was more of a demand than a question.

"I have hockey practice until four. Maybe you'd know that if you ever paid any attention to me." Spencer said, snidely.

"Go to practice. I'll expect you home no later than four thirty."

"Whatever."

"No. Not whatever. You will be home by four thirty or you're going to be in a lot of trouble."

"I don't care."

Spencer then picked up her backpack and walked out the door without saying another word to her father.

* * *

Emily could feel her heart thumping hard against her chest as she parked her truck in the Hastings' driveway. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before shutting the engine off and stepping out of the truck. Emily strapped her tool belt around her waist, took her tool box out of the back of her truck and slowly walked toward the addition, where she'd find Spencer's father.

"Mister Hastings." Emily said, softly.

Emily set her tool box down on the floor.

"Let's get something straight here, the only reason I'm not firing you right now is because according to my wife, she already paid you. So...you'll finish this job and I'll be here to see to it that it gets done."

"I understand..."

"When you're finished, you're not to see my daughter again. She's entirely too young for you. Have I made myself clear?"

"I know there's a five year age difference between us and I understand why you're unhappy about that, but I can't stop seeing Spencer. She means a lot to me and it's been a really long time since I've felt so close to someone..."

"I didn't pay you to start a relationship of any kind with my daughter." Peter's tone was much more belligerent. "You were hired here to do a job and be on your way. That's how it works and that's what I expect to happen."

"Mister Hastings...sir...I..."

"I trusted you, Emily."

There was obvious disappointment in Peter's voice.

"You still can." Emily said, forcing herself to look Peter in the eyes.

"No. I really don't think so, not after being lied to for months. I thought you were a professional. A true responsible professional would never become involved with a client's daughter under any circumstance."

"I agree with you, what I did wasn't appropriate or at all professional. I've thought all of that through, believe me. I figured you'd probably be less than thrilled with me, but I prepared myself to deal with that. I want you to know that I never meant any disrespect to you or your wife. I'm sorry for the way things happened, but I won't apologize for falling in love with your daughter and I'll do whatever it takes for you to understand that I honestly do love Spencer very much."

Peter cringed slightly at Emily's multiple use of the word "love."

"This isn't negotiable, Emily. I have to do what I feel is best for my daughter and that doesn't include her having a relationship with you."

A moment later, Emily and Peter looked over at the door as Emily's crew walked in.

"I'll be in my office." Peter said, before turning and walking out of the room.

"What was that about?" Mike asked as soon as Peter left the room.

"He knows about Spencer and I." Emily sighed. "He basically just told me that I'm not allowed to see her."

"He can't do that." Chris said. "What are you gonna do about this?"

"I don't know. I can't stop seeing Spencer...I just wish I wasn't still working here, it'd be a little easier."

"We're already ahead of schedule, maybe we'll be able to finish a few days early." Mike said. "I bet if we work through lunch, stay late tonight and start early tomorrow we can be done by tomorrow evening. There's really not that much work left to do."

"You'd do that for me?" Emily asked.

"Of course we will, Em. You're not just our boss, you're our friend." Chris said. "We've got your back."

"Come on, let's get to work." Ben said. "Emily and I can work on installing this carpet, you guys can finish up the electrical stuff."

"Thanks, guys." Emily smiled, slightly.

* * *

"So...your dad knows about you and Emily, now?" Hanna asked, staring across the lunchroom table at Spencer.

"Yeah, he flipped out and yelled at me, then he and my mom started arguing about everything. Thank God my mom already paid Emily, so my dad pretty much can't fire her. He wanted to."

"He's not mad about you being gay, is he?" Aria asked.

"No. He doesn't care that I'm gay. He just doesn't want me with Emily. I didn't even get to see her this morning. Who knows what my dad said to her."

"Just text her and ask." Alison suggested. "It'll take like two seconds for her to answer, that is if your dad didn't like kill her or something."

"Thanks, Alison. That makes me feel a lot better." Spencer said, sarcastically. "Poor Em, my dad's probably breathing down her neck. And I can't text her anyway, my dad took away my phone. He doesn't want me to even talk to her."

"You can borrow my phone if you want." Hanna slid her phone across the table to Spencer.

"Thanks, Han."

"I don't understand why your dad won't let you see Emily. She's like the nicest, sweetest person ever." Hanna said.

"I know, but my dad doesn't see it that way. I don't get it. He liked her a lot before, but he finds out we're dating and now he thinks she's just another horny construction worker looking for sex."

"She's looking in the wrong place, then." Alison was the only one who laughed at her own joke.

"Shut up, Alison." Hanna said. "You're not helping."

"You haven't done anything with Emily, though." Aria said.

"Yeah. My mom told my dad that, but he doesn't listen. He's being such an ass and to make things worse, my mom and Melissa are both out of town and Wren's working crazy hours, so it's just me and my dad."

"Listen, Spence, if you really want to stick it to your dad, just let Emily fuck you." Alison said. "There's nothing your dad can do about it. Besides, it's about time anyway."

"Again. You're not helping." Hanna said.

"At least you have your mom on your side." Aria placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will blow over soon. Your dad will have to eventually see that you and Emily are so good together."

"I hope so. I love Emily so much and I feel terrible that it's my fault that my dad found out when he did. If only I didn't leave my phone out. I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid." Aria said. "It was just an accident."

* * *

The next evening.

After a very hard day's work without taking any breaks, Emily and her crew finally finished their project at the Hastings' house.

"Thanks for all of your hard work, guys." Emily said. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem, boss." Mike said.

"You need any help packing up your truck?" Ben asked, looking at Emily.

"No, thanks. I'm good. Why don't you guys go ahead and get out of here?"

Once her crew had left, Emily walked through the Hastings' house, looking for Peter. She slowly walked to Peter's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Peter called out.

Emily opened the door and stepped inside.

"Did you need something?" Peter asked, indifferently.

"I just wanted to let you know that my crew and I finished the addition."

"You finished a little early?"

"Yes, sir, by a couple of days."

"Hhmm…it's amazing how much work you can get done when you cut out distractions." Peter said, looking up from his computer screen.

"Would you like to come give the addition a final inspection before I leave?" Emily said, deciding to ignore the jab by Spencer's father.

"As a matter of fact, I think I would." Peter stood up from his desk.

Emily and Peter both walked through the house and back to the addition. Peter looked around the room at the beautiful glass French doors. He then stared out the two large picture windows on the opposite wall, which showed off a very nice view of the Hastings' pool. Peter didn't want to admit it, but everything seemed flawlessly built. The overall structure of the large two room addition was very well designed and solidly built. Even the paint job looked perfect.

"Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Everything looks fine. You can go."

"You should really consider letting Spencer do the decorating. She's got a real eye for design, just look at the work she did on your guest house…I think she could even have a very successful career as an interior designer."

"Interior designing won't be part of her college plans. Spencer will be attending law school. I don't care what kind of ridiculous ideas you've been pushing on her."

"I haven't pushed anything on her. I'm just saying, she likes design and she's got a natural talent for it, that's all. She should do what ever she wants…Mister Hastings...I know you're not happy with me, but isn't there anything I can do to get you to change your mind about Spencer and I?"

"You can go home, Emily." Peter said, avoiding eye contact with the architect.

"Sir, please. I'll I'm asking is for you to give me a chance. Let me take you and your family out to dinner, just get to know me. I promise you, I'm a good person and I really do care a lot about Spencer."

"I told you yesterday, my mind has already been made up."

Emily closed her eyes for a moment and sighed heavily. She then turned and walked out of the addition to her truck.

* * *

Later that evening, Spencer had been up in her room doing homework when her father knocked on her bedroom door and entered the room.

"I'm going out to pick up something for dinner. What do you want?" Peter asked.

"Nothing. I'm not hungry." Spencer said, barely looking up from the textbook in her lap.

"You need to eat something. You barely ate last night."

"I'm not hungry."

"I'll bring you back something. How's pizza sound?"

Spencer just shrugged.

"I'll be back shortly."

Peter turned and walked out of the room. Spencer got up off of the bed and watched out the window for her father to leave. When his car pulled out of the driveway, Spencer went downstairs, picked up the landline phone from it's cradle and dialed Emily's number. After a few rings, Emily picked up, though she didn't recognize the number on the caller ID.

"Hello?" Emily said.

"Em."

"Spencer?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. How were things today?"

"Okay. I finished the job."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna go look." Spencer walked through the house and into the new addition.

"Em, everything looks great." Spencer said, looking around the room.

Spencer then noticed Emily's tool belt lying on the floor in the corner of the room.

"You left your tool belt here." Spencer walked across the room and picked up the belt. "Come over and get it. I wanna see you."

"I wanna see you, too. But with your dad home, I can't."

"He went out to get a pizza, we have a little time. Please?"

"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes."

* * *

It wasn't long before Spencer heard a knock at the door. She quickly walked across the living room and opened the door to find Emily standing on the other side. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tight.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." Spencer pulled back and stared up into Emily's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Em. This is all my fault. If I hadn't left my phone out..."

"No, Spencer. I told you, this isn't your fault, okay? Come here..." Emily took Spencer by the hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat down.

"When my mom comes home, I'll try to get her to talk to my dad again. He can't stop us from seeing each other."

"He can stop us, he just can't change how we feel."  
Emily leaned forward and gently pressed her lips to Spencer's.

It wasn't long before Peter pulled his car back into the driveway. He noticed a white Toyota Prius, which he didn't recognize, parked in front of the house. Peter assumed it belonged to someone who was visiting their next door neighbors as the street in front of the Hastings' house frequently became a parking lot, when the neighbors invited guests over. Peter reached over to the passenger seat and picked up a bag from one of the local fast food restaurants. Unfortunately for Emily and Spencer, Peter's decision to stop for burgers instead of pizza yielded a much shorter time out than previously expected. Peter stepped out of his car and walked to the house. When he opened the front door, Peter walked into the living room where he found his daughter involved in a lip lock with Emily.

"I thought I made myself clear…" Peter said, angrily, staring at Emily. "You've got a lot of nerve."

Spencer and Emily quickly separated and stood up as they looked at Peter.

"Dad…"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You are not to see my daughter again. Period." Peter's eyes never left Emily.

"I should go." Emily picked up her tool belt from the couch.

"You're damn right." Peter snapped.

"You don't have to." Spencer took Emily's hand. "Mom doesn't care if Emily's here." Spencer stared her father hard in the eyes.

"Well, your mother isn't here, is she?" Peter yelled.

"Spence…I really should go…" Emily swallowed the lump in her throat as she quickly moved toward the front door and slipped outside.

"You're such an ass." Spencer glared at her father and shook her head.

"You don't talk to me like that." Peter said.

"Why can't you just accept that Emily and I are in a relationship? Because she's older than I am? Would you have been this angry if she had been dating Melissa?"

"This isn't open for discussion, Spencer."

"Is it a status thing? You don't think Emily's good enough for our family, is that it? Why? Because I didn't meet her at the club? Because she doesn't sit in an office in a suit all day barking orders to people? Would you like her any more, if she did? You can do or say what ever you want, but you better get over it, dad, because I love her and that's not gonna change, no matter what you or anyone else thinks. If you can't accept Emily as my girlfriend, that's the same as not accepting me."

Spencer then turned and walked toward the door.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Peter snapped.

"I'm not staying here while mom's away. Not with you. I'll stay at Emily's."

"Like hell you will." Peter raised his voice again.

"Watch me." Spencer opened the front door and slammed it shut behind her.

* * *

When Spencer got to Emily's apartment, she knocked on the door, but after several minutes of waiting and no response, she looked around the parking lot for Emily's car, which she couldn't seem to locate. Spencer leaned against Emily's door frame as a few tears slipped down her cheeks out of pure frustration. A moment later, Emily's neighbor, Gwen, who Spencer had met a few days earlier, stepped out of her own apartment.

"Hi." Gwen said. "It's Spencer, right?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded as she wiped a tear away.

"Is everything, okay?" Gwen asked.

"I just really need to see Emily, but I don't know where she is."

"She said she was going to the pool. I talked to her for a minute when I got home from work. I can take you there if you want."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. I'm meeting a friend for coffee, but the pool's on the way. I can drop you off."

"Thank you." Spencer said.

* * *

When she got to the pool, Spencer opened one of the large double doors and stepped into the pool area, where Emily was alone, swimming laps. Spencer watched Emily dip below the water as she began her next lap from the opposite end of the pool. When Emily reached the other end of the pool where Spencer was standing, she looked up where she saw her girlfriend.

"Spence?" Emily asked as she lifted her goggles up on her forehead. "What are you doing here?"

Emily swam over to the side of the pool and rested her forearms on the ledge.

"After you left, I got into a fight with my dad and I walked out. I just needed to get away."

"I understand. That's why I came here. I kinda just wanted to try to clear my mind a little bit. You know, relieve some stress."

"You wouldn't be so stressed if it wasn't for me. Do you not want me here?" Spencer asked.

"That's not what I meant at all. I just meant that when I have a tough day or something, swimming helps me deal…I love that you're here, but how'd you know where I was?"

"I went to your apartment and I ran into your neighbor, Gwen, she brought me here."

Spencer took her shoes off, rolled up her jeans and sat down on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the water.

"I'm so sorry my dad is acting like such a jerk. You don't deserve to be treated that way."

"It's all right. I get it and as much as it sucks having your dad against us being together, I know he's just trying to protect you. It's what dads do…the good ones, anyway."

Spencer spent the next few moments, just staring at Emily in the water. The silence was broken only when Spencer's stomach growled loudly.

"Hungry?" Emily laughed.

"I'm starving. I haven't eaten since lunch at like eleven."

"Didn't your dad make you anything?"

"He kept telling me I needed to eat, but I said I wasn't hungry. I didn't want to talk to him or do anything just because he told me to."

"You're so stubborn." Emily shook her head. "Just let me swim a few more laps and I'll feed you. We can go back to my place."

"Okay. Just pretend like I'm not even here."

"Or you could join me." Emily said, gently tugging Spencer's leg.

"Oh my God. Don't you dare, this sweater is dry clean only." Spencer said. "If you pull me in, I'll seriously punch you."

"That's okay. I like things a little rough sometimes." Emily laughed.

Spencer kicked her feet out in front of her, splashing Emily in the face.

"What'd I say?" Emily asked, wiping the water from her eyes.

For the next half an hour, Spencer watched Emily swim lap after lap, never slowing down. Spencer couldn't believe how fast Emily was, it was no wonder she had received a scholarship for swimming. When Emily finished, she swam over to edge of the pool and lifted herself out of the water. Emily extended her hand down to Spencer to help her up. Spencer then walked over to the bleachers and picked up Emily's towel, which she handed to her girlfriend.

"Thanks." Emily said as she took the towel from Spencer.

Spencer took a moment to look Emily's body up and down in her tight, black two piece Speedo.

"Why haven't I seen you in a Speedo before now?" Spencer asked. "Damn."

Emily laughed.

"I'm trying to get back in shape."

"This is out of shape for you? Are you serious?"

"I'd just like to lose a couple of pounds and tone up a little. That's all. Just give me a minute to put some clothes on and we can get out of here."

Once Emily had gotten dressed, she and Spencer both walked through the lobby and toward the outside doors.

"Here, put this on." Emily handed Spencer her track jacket.

"Why?"

"Because it's cold outside and you didn't wear a coat."

* * *

Later that night, Spencer found herself involved in a very heated make out session with Emily on the architect's couch. The TV show they had been watching became background noise and was drowned out by heavy breathing and soft moans. Spencer slid her hands up underneath Emily's shirt, letting her fingers wander over her girlfriend's abdomen. Spencer pulled away from Emily's lips and began aggressively kissing and sucking the architect's neck.

"Spence, you okay?" Emily asked. "You're really aggressive tonight."

"I thought you liked it rough." Spencer said. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No. Not at all." Emily said as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Spencer's again.

Emily shifted her position on the couch, she laid down on the couch and pulled Spencer down on top of her without breaking the kiss. Spencer slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth, fighting her girlfriend for dominance of the kiss. Emily closed her eyes as she felt herself becoming more and more aroused by the minute. Spencer's hands slipped down Emily's abdomen and yanked her belt buckle, quickly undoing it.

"Wait…Spence…stop." Emily said, sitting up.

"What's wrong? Don't I turn you on?"

"Spence, of course you do..."

"What's the problem, then? My dad already thinks we're having sex and everyone else questions why we aren't, so we may as well just do it."

Spencer reached down and grasped the button of Emily's jeans as she leaned in and tried to kiss the architect again.

"Not tonight. Not like this." Emily moved her head, avoiding Spencer's kiss as she pulled the brunette's hands back upward.

"But…I think…I'm ready to sleep with you."

"Spencer…" Emily took Spencer's hand in her own. "Thinking and knowing aren't the same thing. I don't want you to do something that you might regret in the morning because you're angry at your dad."

"I want this." Spencer said, though she sounded very unsure of herself. "I thought you did too."

"I do, but this doesn't feel right at all and I'm not about to take something away from you that I can't give back…not until my heart tells me that we're doing this for the right reasons. The right time will come along, okay? I promise you, it will, but tonight's not that time."

"Maybe you're right." Spencer sighed.

"I know I am." Emily nodded and leaned forward, placing a gentle, chaste kiss on Spencer's lips.

"Can I at least stay with you tonight? I don't wanna go home."

"Spencer, you can always stay here. You never have to ask."

"Thank you."

"Let's go to bed. I'll drive you to school in the morning."

Emily then got up off of the couch and walked into the bedroom, followed closely by Spencer.

"You want shorts or pants?" Emily asked, holding up a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a pair of red, green and blue tartan plaid boxer shorts.

"I'll take the shorts, please."

Emily smiled and tossed the shorts to Spencer. She then went back to the dresser and pulled out a plain, white t-shirt for Spencer as well as a pair of Philadelphia Phillies pajama bottoms for herself.

"I'll be right back." Emily said as she disappeared out of the bedroom.

Spencer got changed and laid down in Emily's bed. A few minutes later, Emily returned to the bedroom, in only her pajama pants and a gray sports bra. Emily turned out the light and got in bed next to her girlfriend. Spencer moved closer to Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect. Spencer laid her head on Emily's chest as Emily put her arm around the smaller brunette.

"I'm really sorry things are so complicated with us right now."

"Don't worry." Emily said as she gently ran her fingers though Spencer's hair. "I'm not giving up. I love you and that's all that matters."

"I love you, too." Spencer smiled weakly as she buried her face into the crook of Emily's neck.

It was only a matter of a few minutes until Spencer drifted off to sleep in the comfort and protection of Emily's arms.

"We'll be okay." Emily gently placed a kiss on Spencer's forehead. "Somehow."

 


	40. Chapter 40

Early the next morning, Spencer rolled over in Emily's bed, not feeling Emily lying next to her.

"Em?" Spencer said, groggily as she opened her eyes, confirming that she was alone.

Spencer stretched for a moment as the scent of bacon frying wafted through the air and into the bedroom. Spencer then got up and walked into the kitchen where she found Emily, still in her pajamas, standing over the stove, cooking breakfast. Feeling as though she was being watched, Emily turned around to see Spencer standing in the doorway.

"Morning, sunshine." Emily said as she walked over and kissed Spencer. "You hungry?"

"Sure." Spencer smiled.

"Good. Why don't you sit down? Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes."

"What are we having?" Spencer asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Homemade strawberry banana pancakes, bacon and eggs."

"That sounds amazing."

Emily stepped over to the refrigerator and opened the door. As she slightly bent over to retrieve a carton of eggs, Spencer's eyes focused on Emily's tattoo as she stared at her girlfriend's muscular, bare shoulders. Spencer's eyes slipped down to the small of Emily's back as she stood upright again.

"How do you like your eggs?" Emily asked.

When Spencer didn't respond, Emily turned around.

"Spence?"

"Sorry, what?" Spencer said, shaking her head and refocusing her attention.

"I asked how you like your eggs."

"Oh. Sunny side up, please."

"My favorite." Emily smiled.

Emily then turned around and cracked two eggs into a pan and discarded the shells into the trash.

"You know, I could totally get used to this." Spencer stood up and walked over to Emily.

"What's that?" Emily turned around to look at Spencer.

"You, shirtless, cooking me breakfast. I wish this could be every morning. It's so great being here. You must love having your own place. There's no one to tell you what to do, you can do what ever you want, when ever you want. I wish I had that."

"Yeah, but living alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. You have to do your own laundry, grocery shop, cook, clean and it can get lonely sometimes, not having anyone to talk to."

"Well…what if I moved in with you?" Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily's midsection. "I can do your laundry and clean and cook for you and I wouldn't have to deal with my dad. It can just be you and me. Together."

"Your dad just found out we're dating, I'm not sure moving in together would be the smartest thing for us to do. Don't get me wrong, I love having you here. But, you realize you do have to go home, eventually. You can't hide out from your dad forever."

"I guess…but I still don't want to stay at my house alone with my dad. Can I at least stay with you until my mom and Melissa come home?"

"Of course you can." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer on top of the head.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. When are your mom and Melissa supposed to come back?"

"Melissa will be back tomorrow night and I'm hoping my mom will be too or by Saturday at the latest. She said she was only supposed to be gone for a couple of days."

"That's good."

"Are you still coming to my dress fitting on Saturday?"

"Sure, I wouldn't miss it, but now, what do you say we have some breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Grab a couple of plates and some silverware for us." Emily said as she turned around and shut off the stove.

Emily took the plate that the pancakes were on and set it down in the middle of the kitchen table. Emily placed a few pancakes, a generous amount of bananas and strawberries, an egg and a few strips of bacon onto Spencer's plate. Emily then took two mugs from the cabinet and filled them both with fresh, hot coffee. She placed one of the mugs next to Spencer's plate.

"Thank you." Spencer smiled, looking up at Emily. "You're the sweetest girlfriend ever."

* * *

"Spence?" Emily said as she knocked on the bedroom door. "You about ready? You're gonna be late for school."

"In a minute." Spencer called out.

Spencer pulled on her jeans that she had worn yesterday and rummaged through Emily's dresser looking for a shirt to wear. Spencer put on a plain white t shirt and pulled out a black, three button cardigan sweater from the bottom of the drawer and slipped it on. The sweater was a little baggy on her, but Spencer didn't mind, it was cozy and smelled like Emily.

"Okay, we can go." Spencer said as she walked out of the bedroom.

When they got to the school, Spencer sat in Emily's car for a moment, not wanting to move.

"You want me to pick you up after school?" Emily asked.

"Can you?"

"Sure. I'll be working at home today. I've got some drafting to do."

Spencer leaned over and kissed Emily. Spencer closed her eyes as Emily slowly deepened the kiss. As they kissed, Spencer and Emily heard a tap on the window. They both separated and noticed Hanna standing outside of the car, grinning from ear to ear. Emily put her window down as Hanna stepped over to the driver's side of the car.

"Morning." Emily said, looking out the window at Hanna. "How are you?"

"Good, but not as good as you two. You're gettin' it early this morning, Spence." Hanna laughed. "And I see you've got your own personal hottie to take you to school. Must be nice."

"It is." Spencer smiled.

Emily blushed a little.

"I gotta go. I'll see you this afternoon." Spencer leaned over and kissed Emily. "I love you."

"I love you too. Have a good day."

"Thanks." Spencer said as she stepped out of the car.

Spencer and Hanna both waved goodbye to Emily before turning and heading toward the school.

"So…that's definitely not your sweater…" Hanna said. "I know your clothes inside and out. And Emily brings you to school? You sleep at her apartment last night?"

"Yeah…and before you ask, no we didn't have sex."

"I wasn't going to ask that."

"Yeah right."

"Anyway…how are things between you and your dad, Spence? I assume he doesn't know you spent the night with Emily?"

"Actually he pretty much does, we barely spoke to each other yesterday. Emily finished working and she forgot her tool belt, so I told her to come get it because my dad went out to get something for dinner, he came back sooner than I thought he would and caught Emily and I together."

"What did he say?" Hanna asked.

"He flipped out. Emily left, then he and I got into a huge fight, so I walked out. I told him, I wasn't staying at home without my mom there, so I'm sleeping at Emily's until she comes home. There's no way I'm going home with him there."

"I don't blame you." Hanna said. "I wouldn't want to stay there with him hating on Emily. How's Emily taking everything, by the way?"

"Okay. She said she understands why my dad's acting the way he is, but it's still not fair."

"Look at the bright side though, at least you get to sleep at Emily's. I imagine she's just like a great big teddy bear to cuddle with."

"She is and it is really nice staying with her. When I woke up this morning, she was in the kitchen, making me breakfast minus a shirt."

"Hot. You're a lucky girl, Spence...so have you thought any more about you know, like  _sleeping over_ , sleeping over."

"See. I knew it. I knew you wanted to talk about sex." Spencer laughed. "You're more concerned about me getting laid than I am."

"I get overloaded with details about Aria and Noel, it'd be nice to hear something different for a change."

"Well, I don't really have anything much to give you, I mean I tried to get Emily to have sex with me last night, but she turned me down. I practically threw myself at her. I was like on top of her doing everything I could to get her pants off, but she wouldn't have it."

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Why would she turn you down?"

"She said it didn't feel right. She didn't want me to do something I might regret because I was mad at my dad."

"Were you wanting to do it because you were mad at your dad?"

"I don't know, maybe…"

"I know that's what Alison told you to do, but don't listen to her. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"I know. I was just having a momentary lapse in judgment. I've had a lot on my mind these last few days. But, lucky for me, Emily was sweet enough to not take advantage of the situation."

"She'd never take advantage of you. You've got yourself a really good girl, Spence. She loves you, I bet it wasn't easy for her to turn you down. If you've been thinking about sex, she probably has been too."

"I feel bad making her wait, but I just don't know how to go about things when I do feel ready, I just don't want to end up embarrassing myself."

"You over think things. I told you, you just need to relax and go with the flow. You're nervous for nothing. Emily knows you're a virgin and obviously it doesn't bother her. It'll happen for you, but you have to let yourself relax."

"I know…can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Would it be weird or offensive if I asked Emily how many girls she's slept with?"

"Is that what's bugging you? You're so nervous because you're afraid Emily's been with a lot of girls?"

"Well, kind of. Emily's been known to like to hit it and quit it in the past..." Spencer said as she opened the door to the school and walked inside with Hanna.

"You don't think Emily would do that to you? You know better. So Emily used to be a player, she's obviously not anymore. Honestly, I don't think it matters how many girls she's hooked up with in the past, you can't change it, so why worry about it? She's yours now, that's what counts."

"She's not my property, Han, I don't treat her that way."

"I know, I didn't mean it like that. But, you've totally got her wrapped around your finger. She's in love with you. I know she is because she didn't even hesitate to say she loved you in front of me. That doesn't seem like a player to me and I don't see her going anywhere. But if it's important to you to know how many girls she's slept with before you take that next step, then just talk to her about it. I'm sure she'll be honest with you."

"You're right. I should just probably ask, openly and honestly. She's opened up a lot to me, this shouldn't be any different."

"I think that's the best way to go about it. If Emily has been with a lot of girls, though, don't take it too much to heart, it might actually be a good thing for you. The more practice she's had the better she probably is at knowing exactly what to do with her hands, mouth…" Hanna looked over at Spencer and smirked. "And her tongue. Could be very beneficial to you. Besides, she's totally buff, I bet she's fun to see naked."

Spencer blushed slightly as a slew of dirty thoughts raced through her mind.

"Thanks, Han. I'm so glad I can talk to you about relationship stuff."

"That's what I'm here for." Hanna threw her arm around Spencer's shoulders as they continued walking down the hall to their lockers.

 


	41. Chapter 41

Early Friday evening, when Veronica arrived home, she walked into the house and down the hall toward Peter's office, where she assumed he would be.

"I'm home." Veronica said, opening the office door.

"How was your trip?" Peter asked, looking up from his desk.

"It was fine...did Emily finish the addition?"

"She did." Peter nodded.

"Where's Spencer? I didn't see her car in the driveway."

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since Wednesday night." Peter said, indifferently.

"What do you mean you don't know where our daughter is?" Veronica stared across the room at her husband.

"I caught she and Emily together after I specifically told Emily she was not to see Spencer again. Spencer took off and hasn't been home since."

"You just let her leave?" Veronica said, angrily. "How do you just let her go and not even try to stop her. I can't even leave you alone for three days with our daughter..."

"I assume she's probably with Emily."

"She better be, for your sake." Veronica said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched for Emily's number.

"What did I tell you?" Veronica said. "If you fight this, it'll just push Spencer closer to Emily and further away from us."

Veronica turned and left the room as she dialed Emily's number. After a few rings, Emily picked up.

"Hello?" Emily said.

"Hi, Emily, this is Veronica Hastings...is Spencer with you?"

"Yes. She's right here."

"Thank God. Has she been staying with you?"

"She slept here the last two nights, I hope that's okay. I'm sorry, when she showed up she was really upset and she asked if she could stay with me...I couldn't say no...she went to school and everything..." Emily rambled.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm just glad Spencer's safe, that's all. Could you please send her home?"

"Yes, ma'am. Of course."

"Thank you. And thank you for looking out for Spencer. I appreciate it."

"Spence. Your mom wants you home." Emily said as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"I don't want to go. I like being here with you better." Spencer stood up from the couch and wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend.

"You have to go. Your mom wants you." Emily leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Spencer's head.

"Okay." Spencer sighed. "Don't forget my dress fitting is at ten tomorrow. We should probably leave Rosewood around nine."

"I'll come pick you and your sister up tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily. "See you then. Love you."

"I love you, too."

When Spencer got home, she walked in the front door, where her mother and father were in the kitchen.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said. "I'm glad you're home."

Peter didn't say a word.

"I wish I could say the same thing." Spencer said.

"We need to talk about this. I don't want to have World War Three in my house every time the two of you are in the same room."

"We wouldn't have a problem if dad could just accept that I'm in love with Emily."

"You're eighteen years old, Spencer. You're not in love with anyone." Peter said.

"You don't know how I feel." Spencer defensively crossed her arms over her chest.

"Emily is a grown adult, you are a child." Peter said.

"No, I'm not. I'm eighteen. I'm not a little kid anymore, stop treating me like one. Emily and I aren't doing anything wrong."

"If you didn't think you were doing something wrong, you wouldn't have felt the need to lie about it." Peter said.

"So if I had been up front and told you I wanted to date Emily, you would have been fine with it?"

"Absolutely not."

"See there's no arguing with you. You're going to be completely unfair no matter what."

"You need to find someone better suited to you."

"Better suited to me or better suited to you? Just because you don't think Emily's good enough, doesn't mean she isn't. She's amazing and I love her. Emily's shown me a lot more love and compassion in the few months I've known her, than you ever have. When ever I'd talk to her while she worked, she always listened to me. She pays attention to me. She never once made me feel like a burden to her. Every time I try to talk to you, you make me feel like I'm bothering you. I already told you to get over it, she's not going anywhere."

Spencer then turned and walked up the stairs to her room.

"How can you say Emily isn't good enough?" Veronica looked at her husband.

"I never said that." Peter shrugged.

"But it's pretty clear that's what you meant. Are you trying to make Spencer hate you? She's happy with Emily and Emily treats her well, as Spencer's father, how your daughter is being treated in her relationship is what should matter the most to you."

"I'm done with this. I don't even know why I bother trying to be a parent, you just let Spencer do what ever the hell she wants anyway." Peter shook his head and walked out of the room.

Later that evening, Spencer walked outside to the barn. She walked inside and knocked on Melissa's bedroom door.

"Come in." Melissa called out.

Spencer opened the door and stepped inside, where Melissa was sitting on the bed looking at her iPad.

"Hey. Are you busy?" Spencer asked.

"Not really. Did you need something?"

"Have you talked to dad since you got home?"

"No. He wasn't home when I got here. Neither was mom. Why?'

"Dad found out about Emily and I."

"What? How?"

"I was stupid and accidentally left my phone on the coffee table. He saw a couple of pictures of us together. Now he's mad and everything's a mess."

"Aw, Spence…I'm really sorry. Come sit down here." Melissa set her iPad down on the night stand and patted the spot on the bed, beside her. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to bother you on your trip…dad and I fight pretty much every time we see each other…I didn't even stay here these last two nights, I stayed with Emily."

"Does dad know?"

"Yeah. I said I wasn't staying with him, so I said I'd sleep at Emily's and I left."

"I bet dad loved that." Melissa said, sarcastically.

"I don't even care, I love Emily it doesn't matter what dad thinks."

"Exactly. Dad will get over it. Give him some time to cool down, he'll see how much you care about Emily. We'll just have to figure out a way to get them to spend some time together. It'll be okay."

The next morning, Emily arrived at the Hastings' house to find Spencer and Melissa walking out of the barn.

"You two ready?" Emily put her window down as Spencer and Melissa approached the car. "I'll drive."

"You don't mind?" Spencer said.

"Not at all. Get in."

When Spencer got into the car, she leaned over and gave Emily a quick kiss on the lips.

"How are you doing this morning, Melissa?" Emily asked, turning around to look at her girlfriend's older sister.

"Pretty good, thanks. How about you?"

"Not bad."

Before leaving Rosewood, Emily pulled into the nearest gas station and filled up her tank.

"I'm gonna run in and get a coffee." Emily said opening the driver's side door. "Can I get you two anything?"

"Coffee would be great." Melissa said.

"How do you take it?" Emily asked.

"One cream, two sugars, please. Here, I'll get you some money."

"No, don't worry about it, I got it." Emily gave Melissa a friendly smile. "You want some coffee too, Spence?"

"Yeah. I'll come in with you."

Melissa watched as Spencer reached down to hold Emily's hand as they began walking toward the building, though it was only a short distance from the car to the door.

When they arrived in Philadelphia, Emily parked her car in the bridal shop's parking lot. Emily, Spencer and Melissa all got out of the car and walked toward the door. Emily opened the door and waited for both Melissa and Spencer to walk inside first.

"Hi, there." A middle aged, brunette woman said, approaching the threesome. "May I help you?"

"Yes. I have a fitting for my wedding dress. My sister also has an appointment to be fitted for her bridesmaid dress."

"Great. What's your last name?"

"Hastings."

"Okay. I'll go check to see if the seamstress is ready for you yet. I'll be right back."

"Thank you." Melissa said.

A few moments later, the same woman returned.

"You can follow me back to the fitting room." The woman said. "The seamstress has both of your dresses ready for you."

When they walked into the large fitting room, Emily sat down in one of the chairs as the seamstress handed one large white box to Melissa and another one to Spencer.

"I promise this won't take long." Spencer said, walking over to Emily.

"Take your time. It's cool." Emily smiled.

Melissa and Spencer then both took their boxes and stepped into adjacent partitions which were concealed by long white, pleated curtains.

After a few minutes, Spencer pulled back her curtain and stepped out of the dressing room.

"All right, let's take a look at you." The seamstress said, walking around Spencer.

Emily looked up at Spencer, the light blue dress, was one-shouldered with a white bow around the waistline. The dress hit right at the brunette's knees.

"I think we just need to hem this up a bit." The seamstress said as she placed a few pins into the dress, near Spencer's knees.

"How does the dress look?" Spencer asked.

"I think it looks great on you." The seamstress said. "Wouldn't you agree?" She glanced over at Emily.

"It looks amazing." Emily stood up and walked over to Spencer. "Your sister has the most beautiful maid of honor I've ever seen."

"Thanks, Em." Spencer said as a smile spread across her face.

A moment later, Melissa stepped out from behind her curtain. Melissa's gown was white and strapless. It was low cut in the back, while still remaining very tasteful. The gown was form fitting through Melissa's midsection and hips, flaring out slightly from her thighs to the floor. The dress was ruffled near the bottom and adorned all over with delicate lace and intricate beading.

"That dress definitely fits you even better than it did the first fitting." The seamstress said.

"I lost five pounds since my first fitting." Melissa said.

"It's perfect." The seamstress said. "Let's see how it looks with the veil. I'll go get the heels you picked out too."

"Thank you." Melissa said.

"Do you like your dress, Spence?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah. I actually think it's really pretty. Thanks for not picking out ugly bridesmaid dresses."

"I'd never pick something that I wouldn't wear myself. What do you think, Emily? How do we look?"

"You both look absolutely beautiful. I'm pretty sure your fiancé and I are two of the luckiest people in the world. He gets the gorgeous bride, I get the gorgeous maid of honor. What more could anyone possibly want?"

"Okay. I think we're about done here." The seamstress said, once she was sure that both Melissa and Spencer's outfits were prefect. "I'll leave you two to get changed, you can go ahead and leave the dresses on the hangers. I'll take care of them."

The seamstress then disappeared from the room and headed toward the front of the store.

"I'm gonna change and go use the restroom before we leave." Spencer said, walking back into the dressing room.

"Okay." Emily nodded as she sat back down. "I'll be here."

Once Spencer had changed back into her regular clothes, she handed Emily her bag.

"Will you hold this?" Spencer asked.

"It doesn't really go with my shoes, but yes, I will." Emily laughed.

"Thanks." Spencer laughed too as leaned down to give Emily a quick peck on the lips.

Spencer then disappeared toward the restrooms. Melissa though, had yet to move from in front of the floor length mirror, as she was too focused on staring at her dress. After another moment, Melissa glanced over at Emily, who was staring off into space.

"Emily, would you mind unzipping me, please?" Melissa asked.

"Oh, sure, no problem." Emily stood up and walked over to Melissa.

Emily gently pulled the zipper down Melissa's back, being very careful with the material. Emily assumed the dress probably cost more than her whole year's salary.

"You okay?" Melissa asked, noticing that Emily seemed a little distracted.

"I'm fine. I've just kind of got a lot on my mind. That's all."

"Thinking a lot about my sister and my father?" Melissa asked, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder for balance as she removed one of her heels.

"Yeah. I mean...I don't want your dad to hate me. I do care about his opinion, but I can't stop seeing Spencer…"

"Don't worry." Melissa leaned on Emily again as she took off her other shoe. "He just has to go through his stupid, macho 'I'm the father, fear me' stage. He's done it with all of my boyfriends. It's a man thing, it won't last forever."

"I hope you're right." Emily bent down, picked up Melissa's heels and handed them to her. "I tried talking to him, but he doesn't want anything to do with me...are you sure I should even go to your wedding? I don't want to start any drama with your family…"

"It's not my dad's wedding to decide who comes. You're coming. I invited you and Spencer needs a date, you wouldn't bail on her, would you?"

"No, of course not."

"Good. You've got plenty of time to win my dad over before the wedding. It's not worth stressing about. So…what do you say we head over to the mall and find you something to wear? Saks is having a huge sale on some really nice Armani suits."

"Sounds good." Emily smiled.

"Do you like this one?" Spencer pulled a black suit off of the rack and held up to Emily.

"Sure." Emily said. "But I think the pants might be a little short. Do they have one in tall?"

"I'll look."

"You know, I guess I never realized how tall you are." Melissa said. "How do you find pants that fit you?"

"Not easily." Emily said. "Jeans I can usually find, but dress pants are a little tricky...they're usually either too short and baggy or way too tight. It's a curse being six one and actually having an ass."

Spencer and Melissa both laughed.

"We can always get something tailored, if we need to." Melissa said.

"Finding you pants might be a nightmare, but I wouldn't change you for anything." Spencer said.

"Thanks, Spence." Emily smiled.

"What do you think about this one?" Spencer showed her girlfriend a navy blue two button suit.

"I don't like it. It reminds me too much of the suit Steph picked out for me to wear to our wedding." Emily said.

"Okay. Definitely scrap that one then." Spencer put the hanger back on the rack.

"Emily, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you divorced?" Melissa asked.

"No. I was engaged at one point, but the wedding never happened. I got dumped. It's a long, boring story." Emily said, casually as she continued browsing through the rack of clothing in front of her.

"Well…I like this one." Melissa held up a gray, three button, pin striped suit, effectively changing the subject.

"I like that one too." Spencer said, taking the garment from her sister. "Try both of these on."

"Let's see if we can find you a shirt to go with Spencer's dress." Melissa stepped over to a rack full of different colored button down shirts.

"Here." Melissa pulled out a sky blue shirt and handed it to Emily. "Hold this for a second."

Melissa then opened her purse and pulled out a fabric sample of her bridesmaid dresses. She held it up to the shirt in Emily's hand.

"It matches perfectly." Melissa said. "Why don't you go try this stuff on."

"Okay."

Emily walked toward the fitting rooms with Spencer and Melissa following behind her.

After a few minutes, Emily stepped out of the fitting room in the black suit that Spencer had picked out.

"Do you guys like this one?" Emily asked.

"Oh my God, you look so adorable." Spencer said.

Spencer walked over to Emily and buttoned the jacket at her abdomen.

"What do you think, Melissa?" Spencer asked.

"I like it. You look great."

"Thanks."

"Now…go try on the gray one." Spencer said. "We'll see which one we like better."

Emily then walked back into the dressing room and returned a few minutes later in the charcoal gray, pin striped suit, with the same light blue shirt.

"I think I like this one even better." Melissa said.

"Me too." Spencer agreed. "Turn around, Em."

"How's the jacket feel?" Melissa asked. "Does it have enough give across your shoulders?"

"Yeah. It feels pretty good, actually."

"Do you have enough room in the pants?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. Surprisingly, they're fine."

"Are you just saying that to get out of playing any more dress up?" Spencer asked.

"No. I swear. They fit really well."

"Good. Because your butt looks great." Spencer smirked, eyeing Emily up and down. "You can wear your nice, black leather oxfords too. You'll look amazing, right, Melissa?" Spencer glanced over at her sister.

"Definitely. You'll look really cute and totally classy."

"I guess this one it is then." Emily said as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

"I'm so going to have the hottest date at the wedding." Spencer said, linking her arm with Emily's as she looked into the mirror at their reflections.


	42. Chapter 42

The next afternoon, Spencer found herself at the mall with Hanna and Aria, as she frequently did on Sunday afternoons.

"Do you guys like this top?" Aria asked, taking a black and purple striped top off of the rack in front of her.

"Definitely." Hanna said. "It's totally you."

"How's Emily, Spence?" Aria asked.

"She's good. My dad's still being annoying, but at least now Em and I can actually go out together without having to worry about getting caught."

"That definitely has to feel like a relief for you guys." Aria said.

"It really is."

A moment later, Aria pulled her phone out of her purse when she heard it ping. She read over her text message, typed a quick reply and dropped her phone back into her bag.

"Hey, Spence, when we leave here could you possibly drop me off at Noel's on the way home?"

"Sure. You guys have a date tonight?"

"Yeah. We're going to a movie. We were supposed to go out last night, but he said he forgot and already made plans with his friends."

"What a jerk." Hanna said.

"Yeah, but it's okay." Aria said. "I'm making him take me to Vedge for dinner next weekend."

"That vegan place in Philly?" Spencer asked. "I've been dying to try the food. My mom had a business dinner there once, she really liked it."

"It's my favorite place. You'd love it. You should get Emily to take you. If you guys are free next Friday we could double."

"I'd love that, but I'm not sure Em would really be all that into going to a vegan restaurant. She's kind of a carnivore."

"So is Noel, but the food's good. I'm sure they'll both be able to find something on the menu."

"Yeah and in case you haven't noticed, Emily's a total softie for you." Hanna said. "She'll do what ever you want, even if it means having to choke down some hippie-vegan crap for dinner."

"Hey, it's not hippie food and it's not crap, it's really good." Aria said. "And the chef at Vedge won Chopped on the Food Network..."

"Really?" Spencer said. "That's awesome."

"Yeah. So ask Emily. We'll have a good time."

"Okay. I'll definitely ask her." Spencer smiled.

"Cool. Let me know. I'm gonna go try this on. I'll be right back." Aria said before disappearing over to the near by fitting room.

Spencer and Hanna both continued browsing a rack of clothing in front of them.

"Hey, Han..." Spencer said. "Clothes question for you...it's okay to wear a solid gray vest with a pin striped suit, right?"

"Depends on what color the suit is."

"It would be the same color as this." Spencer held up the charcoal gray, five button vest she had been looking at.

"Oh yeah, as long as the grays match each other, it won't matter if the suit is pin striped, but I think that'll be way too big on you. Vests only look good if the fit right..."

"It's not for me. Em just bought a gray pin striped Armani suit to wear to Melissa's wedding, I was thinking of buying her a vest to go with it. What do you think? Would it be hot or not?"

"I'd say hot for sure. Vests are totally making a come back. I think it'd look great on her with a suit. What color shirt is she wearing?"

"It's like a sky blue, it's the exact same color as my dress."

"Aw. She's going to match you?"

"Yep. I have no idea how Melissa and I managed to find an exact perfectly matching shirt. It was just there, along with the perfect fitting suit. We got lucky."

"That's great. You guys will look so cute together."

"I know the wedding's still months away, but I can't wait for my family to meet Emily."

"I bet they'll love her."

"I know they will. I don't know how they couldn't."

"How are things between you and Melissa and Emily? I guess Melissa's still cool with you guys dating if Emily's going to the wedding."

"Yeah. Melissa's been really cool, actually. We haven't fought in a long time, it's been a nice change for us. Now, if only I could get my dad on board..."

* * *

Later that afternoon, once they left the mall, Spencer dropped Aria off at Noel's as promised.

"I'm gonna go take that vest over to Emily's. You wanna come with me?" Spencer asked, looking over at Hanna.

"Sure."

When they got to Emily's apartment, Spencer knocked on the door. After a few moments, Emily appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Spence." Emily leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend. "Hey, Hanna. Come on in."

Emily stepped aside so that Hanna and Spencer could walk in. Emily then closed the door and followed Spencer and Hanna into the living room.

"So what are you up to?" Spencer asked.

"Just working, doing a little bit of drawing."

"What are you drawing?" Hanna asked.

"It's my design for the new bridge that's going up just outside of town, this spring."

"That's amazing." Hanna said, glancing at the pencil drawing sitting on top of Emily's computer desk.

"Thanks. I'm not quite finished with it yet..."

"What happens when you finish the drawing?" Hanna asked.

"I'll plug all of the dimensions into my drafting software to get some rough plans, which I'll send to the construction company. They'll look over them and get in contact with me, I'll make any necessary tweaks and a small scale model will be built, once we're happy with everything, the contractor will start building and eventually we'll have a brand new and much safer bridge."

"So basically Rosewood's safety rests in your hands?" Spencer said.

"Anyone driving over the bridge, I guess." Emily smiled.

"Can I draw something?" Hanna asked.

"Sure." Emily walked over to her desk, pulled out a large, blank sheet of drafting paper and set both her t square and a drawing triangle on top of the paper.

"Knock yourself out." Emily took the pencil from behind her ear and gave it to Hanna.

Hanna sat down at the desk and begin drawing away.

"So...what brings you girls over to my apartment this afternoon?"

"We were just at the mall and I saw this vest." Spencer said, pulling the vest out of the bag she had been holding. "Hanna and I thought it'd look really good with your suit. Try this on."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily took the vest from her girlfriend, slipped it on and buttoned it up.

"Good, it fits you." Spencer said.

"You should probably try it on with the suit." Hanna turned around and looked at Emily. "So we can see how everything looks together."

"I'm sure it'll look fine." Emily said. "I don't need to put on the entire suit..."

"Aw, come on, Em. Please?" Spencer pouted.

"Okay, okay. Just stop giving me that sad puppy face. I'll be right back."

"Put your shoes on too. So we can see the whole outfit." Spencer said.

Emily rolled her eyes and walked into her bedroom. After a few minutes, she opened the bedroom door and stepped back out into the living room.

"Well?" Emily said, stuffing her hands into her pants pockets.

Hanna turned around again, both she and Spencer carefully looked Emily up and down.

"She really cleans up nicely, doesn't she?" Hanna said, glancing over at Spencer.

"She sure does."

"I love the suit. Not gonna lie, I wanna be your wedding date." Hanna laughed, looking over at Emily again. "You're just too cute."

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "But, you should really see Spencer in her bridesmaid dress. She looks so incredible. I have no idea how I managed to end up with such a beautiful girlfriend."

Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer and kissed her forehead.

"So how's the drawing coming over there?" Emily asked.

"Good. I'm designing the perfect mall."

"What's the perfect mall?" Emily asked, walking over to Hanna.

"Well…this is the Kate Spade outlet." Hanna pointed to a large square in the middle of the paper. "There's a Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Macy's and there'd always be a café in sight that sells nothing but gourmet coffee and fresh French pastries."

"Sounds like a fashionista's dream." Emily laughed. "You know what you should add in?"

"What?" Hanna leaned back in her chair and looked up at Emily.

"A rest area right here." Emily picked up a pencil, leaned over Hanna's shoulder and circled a spot right in the middle. "A place with TVs and comfortable chairs and snacks and free cell phone chargers so that bored boyfriends and girlfriends will have a place to go when they get suckered into having to go to a mall with only clothes stores."

"Well…I guess I could probably work that in." Hanna laughed.

"Good. I know I'd appreciate it." Emily laughed again.

* * *

Early the next evening, Spencer was sitting in her living room with a text book and notebook studying for a history exam when she heard a knock at the front door. Spencer got up and opened the door to find a delivery man on the other side, holding a large bouquet of one dozen long-stemmed red roses.

"Delivery for a Spencer Hastings." The man said. "Is that you?"

"Yes."

The man then handed Spencer the roses.

"Have a good night."

"Thank you." Spencer replied.

The man then turned and headed back to his truck.

Spencer pulled the small enclosure card out from among the flowers.

Spencer,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm always thinking of you. Finding you has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you. XOXO  
Emily

Spencer smiled to herself and clutched the flowers and card to her chest for a moment. Spencer then set the flowers down and opened the cabinet underneath the sink to look for a vase. Once Spencer had put the flowers into the vase, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to text Emily.

Just got the roses you sent. :) Thank you, they're beautiful.

Not nearly as beautiful as you are. You want to come over? I can cook us dinner.

I'm starving and that sounds great, but I'm studying for my huge history test tomorrow. You could come over and help me study if you want.

Your parents home?

Nope. Working late.

How about if I pick us up something for dinner on the way?

Sounds great. :)

Okay. I'll see you in about half an hour.

Can't wait.

Emily then called The Applerose Grille to place an order for take out.

When Emily arrived at The Grille, she went inside and stepped up to the front counter.

"Hi, can I help you?" The young man behind the counter asked.

"Hi, I'm picking up a take out order for Emily."

"Okay...fourteen sixty seven is the total."

Emily pulled some cash out of her pocket and handed it to the clerk, who gave Emily her change a moment later.

"Just one minute, I'll go grab your food."

"Thanks."

"Emily?" Hanna said, stepping up to the counter. "I thought that was you."

"Hey, Hanna, what's up?" Emily glanced over at the blonde, who was standing next to an attractive, middle aged woman.

"Not much, just getting some coffee with my mom. Mom...this is Emily, Emily, this is my mom."

"Here's your order." The clerk handed a bag to Emily.

"Thank you." Emily said, before focusing her attention back to Hanna and her mother. "Hi, Missus Marin, it's nice to meet you." Emily extended her hand to Hanna's mother.

"It's Ms., actually..." Hanna's mother said, in a slightly flirty tone as she shook Emily's hand. "But, you can call me Ashley."

"Mom, this is Spencer's girlfriend."

"The architect." Ashley said.

"That's me."

"So you're the one who has Hanna so excited about architecture and design." Ashley smiled.

"You should see how awesome the Hastings' house looks." Hanna said. "Emily does amazing work."

"You know I was actually thinking of doing a little remodeling this spring once I get my tax refund." Ashley said.

"Oh really? What were you planning on remodeling?" Emily asked.

"My master bathroom. I was also thinking of having a little landscaping work done around my patio."

"Well, I could do all of that for you, no problem. I'd give you a good deal too. Can I give you my business card?"

"Of course."

Emily unzipped her coat a little, pulled a business card from the inside pocket of her coat and handed it to Ashley.

"Look, even your card has a little architect on it." Ashley chuckled, looking at the cartoon architect, wearing a hard hat and holding a t square in the bottom corner of the card. "That's adorable."

"My mom had like thousands of these printed for me when I graduated college. She gives them to everyone..." Emily laughed. "If you'd ever like to meet with me to discuss doing a remodel or anything, feel free to give me a call."

"Thank you, Emily."

"You're welcome...well...I better get going, I'm taking dinner over to Spencer. It was really nice meeting you. And it's always nice to see you, Hanna."

"You too. Bye, Em."

"Bye." Emily smiled to herself. That was the first time that Hanna had ever called her "Em." It made Emily happy that Spencer's friends seemed to like her.

"She seems really sweet." Ashley said.

"You'd know. You hit on her." Hanna laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley rolled her eyes.

"It's MS. Marin, but you can call me Ashley." Hanna said in a sarcastic, sexy tone of voice. "That wasn't flirting?"

"Of course not. I was just being nice."

"Okay mom." Hanna said in a disbelieving tone. "But since you hit on her before I told you she was Spencer's girlfriend, I think we can let it slide. Emily's hot, I don't blame you."

"How is it that your best friend is eighteen and dating a sweet, cute young woman with a steady job and I can't even find one decent single man to save my life...God, I think I might actually be jealous of a teenager's relationship..." Ashley said, raising her coffee cup to her lips.

"You'll find a good guy, mom. Don't worry. Maybe Emily even has some hot friends she could hook you up with." Hanna said, playfully elbowing her mother in the ribs as they walked toward the door.

* * *

When Emily arrived at Spencer's house, she knocked on the front door and waited for an answer. Spencer opened door a moment later.

"Hey." Spencer leaned forward to kiss Emily.

"Hey." Emily smiled as she stepped inside.

"Thank you so much for the roses." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her. "And thanks for bringing dinner. You're so sweet."

"You're very welcome. So…what are we studying, tonight?"

"History. I have a huge exam tomorrow morning. Maybe you can help me go over my flash cards while we eat?"

"Sure thing."

"Great. What did you bring to eat?"

"Pasta and some garlic bread. I hope that's okay. If you'd rather have something else I can..."

Spencer cut Emily off with a kiss.

"Pasta is perfect. I could use some carbs." Spencer said, gently placing a hand on Emily chest. "I'll grab us some plates and silverware. Sit down at the island."

Emily sat down and picked up the group of flash cards that were lying on the kitchen island. Spencer opened the take out containers and placed the food onto the two plates she had gotten from the cabinet.

"Oh, so I wanted to ask you..." Spencer said. "Are you free on Friday night? I was hoping maybe we could go to dinner with Aria and her boyfriend."

"Sounds good to me. What restaurant did you have in mind?"

"Aria really likes Vedge and I've never been there, so I was hoping to try it."

"Vedge. Isn't that place totally vegan?"

"Yeah and I know you really like meat and everything, but..."

"I'd love to take you. I guess I'll just have to load up on proteins for lunch." Emily laughed.

"Thanks, Em."

"Okay...quiz me." Spencer said, sitting back down on the stool beside Emily.

As they ate, Emily went through each flash card one by one. For most of the evening Emily asked Spencer questions, to which Spencer answered almost every one correctly.

Spencer looked up through one of the kitchen windows as a huge flash of lightening lit up the sky and was followed by a very loud clap of thunder. The house was then filled with the sounds of a heavy rain falling down on the roof.

"Wow, it's really coming down out there." Emily said.

"Can we focus here, I really need to get back to studying. Give me the flash cards again."

"Spence, you know this stuff inside and out." Emily said. "Don't worry. You'll nail the test tomorrow."

"I hope so. I didn't do as well on the last test as I had hoped to."

"What'd you get an A minus?" Emily laughed.

"Shut up." Spencer reached over and playfully punched Emily's shoulder.

"Hey! That kinda hurt." Emily joked.

"You want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"I think I'd feel even better if you kissed my lips instead."

"Done."

Spencer stood up and moved closer to Emily. She situated herself in between Emily's legs and draped her arms over the architect's shoulders. Spencer leaned down and pressed her lips to Emily's. As they kissed, Emily's hands slipped up underneath Spencer's shirt, caressing the small of her girlfriend's back. It wasn't all that long before Melissa opened the door and came into the house, as she usually managed to whenever Spencer found herself in a semi-intimate moment with Emily.

"Don't mind me." Melissa said. "Just came to get my magazines."

"Emily was just helping me study." Spencer said, when they separated.

"What exactly is it that you were studying?" Melissa laughed. "I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Emily's anatomy isn't going to pop up on any of your tests."

Emily blushed as she stared down at the floor.

"You might want to cool it though, I just saw mom and dad's cars pull into the driveway." Melissa said.

"Thanks for the heads up." Emily said.

A few minutes later, both Peter and Veronica walked into the house.

"Hi, girls." Veronica said.

"Hi, Missus Hastings, Mister Hastings." Emily said, politely.

"Emily." Peter said, acknowledging her, but obviously not thrilled by her presence.

"Where'd the roses come from?" Veronica asked.

"Emily sent them to me." Spencer smiled.

"That was sweet." Veronica said. "Are you girls hungry?"

"Emily and I already ate." Spencer said. "She's helping me study, come on, Em, we can go study in my room."

"Oh, I really don't think so." Peter said. "You can study down here."

"Fine. We'll go to the family room." Spencer began gathering her books.

"Were you able to get an appointment with the mechanic?" Veronica asked her husband.

"He can fit me in next week."

"Is there something wrong with your car?" Melissa asked.

"It just needs an oil change." Peter said.

"Mister Hastings, sir, I don't mean to intrude, but I actually know a lot about cars. I could do an oil change for you, it wouldn't cost you anything and you wouldn't have to wait a week."

"I already have a mechanic. I'll leave it to him." Peter said.

Emily just nodded.

"Come on, Em." Spencer shot her father a glare as she took Emily's hand.

"You know, it's getting a little late, I should probably get home before the rain starts up again." Emily said.

"Emily, why don't you stay the night here with us." Veronica said. "I just saw on the news there are trees down all over town because of the storm. You really shouldn't be out in this weather."

"Thank you, but it's all right, I've driven in worse weather before. I'll be okay."  
"Em, please stay." Spencer said, taking her girlfriend's hand.

"I don't want to trouble all of you…"

"It's no trouble at all." Veronica said. "And I'm insisting you stay here."

"Well…if you insist."

"You can sleep in Melissa's old room." Veronica said.

"No, if you're staying here you'll be sleeping downstairs on the couch." Peter said. "You can stay in the family room."

"Peter, stop it…" Veronica said.

"It's okay. I understand." Emily said. "I don't have a problem staying on the couch."

"Melissa, why don't you take Emily and go find a pair of Wren's pajamas for her to sleep in." Veronica said.

"We'll be right back. Come on, Emily." Melissa turned and walked out of the room with both Emily and Spencer following.

"Why do you have to act that way?" Veronica said, looking at her husband. "What would it hurt to let Emily sleep in Melissa's room?"

"It's right across the hall from Spencer's, I don't want either of them getting any ideas."

* * *

Later that night.

"I'm gonna head up to bed." Spencer said.

"Okay. Good night, Spence." Emily gave Spencer a quick kiss on the lips.

Spencer then disappeared up the stairs. Emily was on her way to the addition to change into the pajamas Melissa had given her when Peter stopped her.

"Emily." Peter said.

"Yes?" She turned around.

"If I catch you anywhere near Spencer's bedroom, you and I are going to have a serious problem. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good." Peter then walked into the living room, turned on the TV and sat down on the couch.

"What did you say to her?" Melissa said, entering the living room.

"What?"

"Emily. What did you say to her?" Melissa repeated herself.

"I just told her I didn't want her anywhere near Spencer's bedroom. That's all."

"Don't you think Emily is more respectful than to try sneaking into Spencer's room? Emily's really trying hard with you, dad, and you keep acting like such a jerk. Emily's really sweet. I don't understand why you can't just be happy that Spencer found someone she cares about, who cares about her."

"I really don't need this right now, Melissa." Peter then stood up and walked upstairs.

Emily then walked back into the kitchen.

"Melissa?" Emily said.

"Hi, Emily. You wanna have a glass of wine with me or I can get you something a little stronger if you want…"

"Oh, I uh…"

"Come on, you look like you could use a drink…or two. What do you like? Scotch? Rum?"

"Do you happen to have any gin?"

"Sure. Sit down."

Melissa reached into the cabinet and took out a wine glass as well as an on the rocks glass. She opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of wine and a small bottle of tonic water. Melissa filled the glass with ice, poured in some tonic water and added some gin.

"Here you go." Melissa slid the glass across the island to Emily.

"Thank you."

Melissa then pulled a cork screw from one of the drawers and went to open the wine bottle.

"Can I help?" Emily asked, noticing Melissa was having a little trouble removing the cork.

"Thanks." Melissa said, handing the bottle to Emily.

Emily popped the cork and handed the bottle back to Melissa.

"I'm really sorry my dad is being such a jerk to you."

"It's okay…I heard what you said to him just a few minutes ago and I wanted to say thank you…for standing up for me."

"It's the least I can do. I think you've been really good for Spencer. I've never seen her this happy…so just keep doing what you're doing."

  


 


	43. Chapter 43

Early the next morning, Emily rolled over on the Hastings' couch and opened her eyes.

"Morning, Em." Spencer smiled, appearing in the doorway of the addition in nothing more than a pair of very short athletic shorts and a thin spaghetti strap tank top.

"Hey, Spence." Emily stood up and walked over to her girlfriend.

Emily leaned down and gave Spencer a lingering good morning kiss.

"Did you sleep okay?" Spencer asked. "I'm really sorry my dad made you sleep on the couch. He's an ass."

"It's okay. I understand. Besides, it's a big couch." Emily said as she wrapped her arms around Spencer.

A few moments later, Melissa walked into the addition.

"Hey, is the electricity on in here?" Melissa asked. "It's out in the barn."

"I'm not sure." Spencer said. "I just got up and came straight down here, but it did storm pretty bad over night..."

Emily walked over to the light switch and flipped it to the on position, but nothing happened.

"Could just be the breaker." Emily said. "I'll go check."

Emily then walked out of the room and down to the basement.

"Did you know that dad told Emily to stay out of your bedroom, last night?" Melissa asked.

"No. Emily didn't tell me. God, dad's such an ass."

"I know. Emily's been nothing but polite and completely respectful even though dad's been a total jerk to her. I don't know why he just can't get over himself already."

"Seriously. It's not like we're going to do anything in my room with mom and dad right down the hall."

"Have you and Emily slept together?"

"Not yet. I mean I'm pretty sure I want to, but the right time just hasn't really come up."

"Well, when you do sleep with her, don't let dad find out or else poor Emily is really gonna be in trouble."

"I reset the breaker." Emily said, walking back into the room.

"That must have been the problem, the lights in here came on while you were downstairs." Spencer said.

"Thanks, Emily." Melissa said. "I'm gonna go get in the shower."

Once Melissa had left the room, Spencer turned to Emily.

"You want me to make you some breakfast?" Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's midsection and stared up at her girlfriend.

"Only if you'll let me help." Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips and leaned down to kiss her.

As they kissed, neither Spencer nor Emily heard Mister Hastings walking into the room.

Peter loudly cleared his throat, causing both Spencer and Emily to quickly separate.

"Let's go make some breakfast." Spencer laced her fingers with Emily's. "Come on, Em."

Peter narrowed his eyes, as he looked his daughter up and down.

"Before you do anything, you're going to walk yourself back upstairs and put some clothes on." Peter said.

"I have clothes on."

"Not nearly enough. Go upstairs and don't come back down until you're dressed appropriately."

"Whatever." Spencer rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, followed by her father.

* * *

It was early on Friday evening when Spencer came downstairs into the kitchen, carrying a black garment bag over her shoulder.

"Spencer, will you be home for our dinner party tonight?" Veronica asked. "You can invite Emily to come."

"Gee mom as fantastic as that sounds, I have to pass." Spencer said sarcastically. "Emily and I already have plans. Besides, I'm not inviting her over so dad can be totally rude to her."

Veronica gave Spencer an understanding, sympathetic look. While Peter either didn't hear the comment from the kitchen or just chose to ignore it.

"What are you and Emily doing tonight?" Veronica asked.

"We're going to dinner with Aria and Noel. I figured I'd go get ready over at Emily's place, so we won't interrupt your party." Spencer shifted the garment bag on her shoulder and walked toward the kitchen to pick up her car keys.

"Oh and dad…even though I'll be alone with Emily at her apartment, I'll try not to have sex with her." Spencer said snidely, obviously trying to get a rise out of her father. "Apparently that's all you think we do..."

"Spencer." Veronica sighed.

"Just so you know, it's been almost two months that Emily and I have been together and guess what? I'm still a virgin..."

"Good and you better stay that way." Peter said, dryly.

"I really don't get you." Spencer said. "You'll let Melissa and Wren stay together in the same bed in the barn, but you wouldn't even let Emily sleep upstairs in a different room, in a separate bed for one night. How is that fair?"

"Your sister is an adult. Besides that, she's engaged to Wren."

"I'm leaving." Spencer said as she walked toward the door.

"You'll be home by eleven." Peter's words came out more as a demand than a question.

"Eleven? It's not even a school night." Spencer complained.

"Be home by twelve thirty at the absolute latest." Veronica said.

"Fine." Spencer groaned before slipping out the door.

* * *

When Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment. She took her garment bag from the back seat of her car and walked into the apartment.

"Hey, Spence." Emily set down the book she was reading and stood up from the couch to kiss her girlfriend. "I thought you weren't coming over until later."

"I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I got ready over here. My parents are having a dinner party and I didn't really want to get stuck chatting with any of their boring friends."

"Of course you can get ready here." Emily smiled.

"Thanks. Have you decided what you're going to wear yet?"

"Nope. I'll probably just wear the first thing I can grab out of my closet."

"Can I pick something out for you?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Come on." Spencer took Emily's hand and led her into the bedroom.

Spencer tossed her garment bag onto the bed and walked over to Emily's closet. Emily sat down on the bed and leaned her back against the headboard as Spencer began to sift through the closet. After a few minutes of digging, Spencer pulled out a dark wash pair of straight jeans and tossed them over to the bed. Spencer then took a pale pink, long sleeve Ralph Lauren button down shirt off of a hanger. She also pulled out a black sweater vest and walked back over to Emily.

"Here you go." Spencer laid the shirt and sweater vest on the bed along with Emily's jeans.

"Um, that shirt's pink." Emily said, sitting up.

"I'm so glad to know that you aren't color blind." Spencer laughed.

"My mother bought me that shirt, she insisted that I needed more color in my wardrobe, but I'm just not really much of a pink type of person..."

"But you'd look so hot..." Spencer got onto the bed and climbed on top of Emily.

Spencer kissed her girlfriend as she placed a hand on the architect's chest, guiding her body down onto the bed.

"In pink? No." Emily said when the kiss was broken. "Can't I wear the vest with my blue Ralph Lauren shirt instead? It's the same shirt...just not pink."

"That shirt's navy. You're not really supposed to wear black and navy together, babe."

"Oh...obviously I don't know a lot about fashion."

"It's okay. I can help you with that...now, just wear the pink shirt." Spencer hovered over Emily, her knees on either side of the architect's waist. "It'll look sexy on you. I know it will. Please..."Spencer leaned down and gently began kissing Emily's neck.

"Okay..." Emily sighed as she leaned her head back and slowly slid her hands up Spencer's back.

Spencer smiled into Emily's neck, obviously pleased with herself.

"I want you to know that I've never in my entire life been this easy for a woman before. You see what you've done to me?"

Spencer pulled back and looked into Emily's eyes for a moment.

"I love you." Spencer said before placing her lips against Emily's again.

As they kissed, Emily pulled Spencer down until the full weight of the brunette's body was resting on top of her. When the kiss was broken, Spencer laid her head on Emily's chest. Emily protectively wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair as they laid in silence for a few minutes.

"You smell like baby oil." Spencer said as she nuzzled her face against Emily's neck.

"Sometimes I use it to help keep my skin moisturized. The pool really dries it out."

"You should have asked me to help with the application, I wouldn't have minded lending a hand."

"I'll remember that for next time." Emily laughed.

"I really don't wanna get up, but we do have to pick up Aria and Noel in less than a hour." Spencer said. "Do you need to shower?"

"Nope. I took one like an hour ago."

"Okay. Why don't you give me your shirt, I'll iron it for you."

"I can iron it...I'll go change in the living room. The bedroom's all yours."

"Thanks, Em."

Spencer then rolled off of her girlfriend, picked up Emily's clothes and tossed them at her.

"You need anything ironed?" Emily asked.

"I brought a cardigan to wear over my dress, it could use a quick steam, if you're offering."

"Sure. Give it here."

Spencer unzipped her garment bag, pulled out the sweater and handed it to Emily. Emily then walked out of the room and over to the living room closet to retrieve the iron and ironing board. She spent the next several minutes ironing Spencer's sweater, then her own shirt. Once she was finished, Emily slipped off the worn out, ripped up jeans she was currently wearing and replaced them with the pair of neater looking straight-legged dark wash jeans that Spencer had picked out. Emily took off the t shirt she had on and picked up the freshly pressed, pink Ralph Lauren shirt that she had just ironed. Emily slipped the shirt on and buttoned it, before putting on her sweater vest. Emily then walked over to her bedroom.

"Hey, Spence?" Emily said as she knocked on the door. "I need a belt. Are you dressed yet?"

"Yep. You can come in." Spencer called out.

When Emily opened the door, Spencer was standing in front of the mirror, which was hanging on the wall next to Emily's dresser. Spencer was carefully applying some mascara. On her way to the closet, Emily glanced over at Spencer and smiled to herself as she noticed how well the dress accentuated Spencer's long, well-toned legs. Spencer placed the cap back on the mascara tube and set it down on the dresser. Spencer looked down at her chest as she straightened out her dress.

Emily pulled a black leather belt from her closet and began threading it through her belt loops.

"Em?"

"Uh huh?" Emily turned around.

"Does this dress makes my boobs look too small?...Please be honest. I brought another dress, should I change?"

"No way. You look incredible." Emily said, walking over to her girlfriend.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer's forehead.

"Thanks...I wore a push up bra...are you sure I look okay?" Spencer turned around and looked into the mirror again. "I just really, really hate having small boobs. I'm like six inches taller than Aria and her boobs are still so much bigger than mine..."

"I don't understand why you get so self conscious about your body." Emily stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Spencer from behind, pulling her close. "You're perfect just the way you are. You're absolutely beautiful."

Spencer turned around and Emily leaned down, capturing Spencer's lips with her own. Spencer slowly slid her hands up over Emily's shoulders.

"You ready to go?" Emily asked when the kiss was broken. "I ironed your sweater."

"Thank you. You look adorable, by the way. I knew you would..." Spencer said, looking Emily up and down. "But..."

"But what?"

"Before we leave, you should really think about zipping up your fly." Spencer chuckled.

"Shit." Emily reached down and quickly zipped up her pants.

Spencer laughed as she walked across the room slipped her shoes on. Spencer then walked out of the bedroom with Emily following closely behind. Emily picked up Spencer's sweater and held it out for Spencer to slip her arms through. Emily grabbed her own leather jacket and slipped it on.

"Here." Spencer said as she tossed her own car keys at Emily. "We can take my Benz. It's bigger than your Prius."

"You want me to drive it?" Emily asked, catching the keys against her body.

"Sure. Why not? I trust you."

"Okay. Let's get going then...where are we supposed to pick up Aria and her boyfriend?"

"At Aria's house. She lives over on Turning Leaf Lane."

"Cool."

"Oh and just FYI, Noel can be kind of a jerk sometimes, he's pretty much your stereotypical jock, so don't be surprised if he acts like a douche at all. It's just how he is. We're always butting heads."

"Thanks for the warning." Emily laughed, placing her hand on the small of Spencer's back as they walked out the door.

* * *

When they arrived at the Montgomery house, Spencer and Emily both walked up the porch stairs. Spencer knocked on the door and they waited. After a few moments Aria opened the door.

"Hey, guys. Come on in." Aria said.

Spencer and Emily followed Aria into the living room, where Noel was sitting with Mister and Missus Montgomery.

"Hi, Spencer." Ella stood up. "And you must be Emily." Ella turned to the architect.

"Yes, ma'am. Emily Fields." Emily extended her hand to Aria's mother. "It's really nice to meet you, Missus Montgomery."

"It's Ella. And this is my husband Byron."

"Emily." Mister Montgomery said as he stood up and also shook Emily's hand. "Aria says you're an architect?"

"Yes, sir. I am."

"That's great. I teach art history over at Hollis College. Architecture is big part of my course."

"I'm glad to hear it." Emily said. "I took quite a few art history courses focused on architecture when I was in college."

"Did you go to school around here?" Ella asked.

"No. I went to Texas Tech."

"That's a pretty good school." Byron said.

"Emily, this is Noel, my boyfriend." Aria said, utilizing a break in the conversation to introduce the two.

"Sup?" Noel stood up and gave Emily an informal handshake.

"Can I get you two a drink or anything?" Ella asked Emily and Spencer.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine." Emily smiled.

"Nothing for me either, thanks." Spencer said.

"We should really get going." Aria said. "We don't want to be late. Who's car are we taking?"

"We can take my car." Spencer said. "You mind driving, Em?"

"Not at all."

"All right. Have a good time." Ella said.

"Drive carefully." Byron said, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Of course, sir." Emily said. "It was really nice meeting you both." Emily's gaze shifted from Byron to Ella.

"You too, Emily." Ella said.

Emily, Spencer, Aria and Noel then made their way out to Spencer's Mercedes.

"Emily seems very nice." Ella said.

"She does. Seems a bit old for Spencer though, I'd say." Byron said.

"Maybe just a bit." Ella said. "But, I think Spencer's always been pretty mature for her age."

"So, where exactly is Vedge, anyway?" Emily asked.

"It's on Locust street." Aria said as they got into the car.

"You want me to look up the address and put it into the GPS?" Spencer asked.

"Nah, I'll find it." Emily said as she backed out of the driveway.

* * *

When they arrived at the restaurant, Emily noticed a parking spot on the street near the restaurant. Emily stopped and prepared to parallel park the Mercedes.

"You sure you can fit in there?" Aria asked.

"That's what she said." Noel laughed.

"You would make a 'that's what she said' joke." Spencer glanced over her shoulder at Noel. "Idiot."

"Relax, brainiac, you know you love me." Noel teased.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure." Spencer rolled her eyes, as she turned around.

Spencer then noticed that Emily was laughing.

"Don't encourage him." Spencer gently slapped Emily's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"What? 'That's what she said' jokes are funny." Emily said as she twisted her body around to look out the back window as she backed Spencer's Mercedes into the parking space between two other cars. "When I was a sophomore at Texas Tech, I lived with two dudes for a semester, it was five months of sex jokes. I got used to it."

"Your mother actually let you live with two guys?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. She liked it a lot better than when I lived with two girls." Emily said as she straightened out the steering wheel and shifted the car into park. "She even made tons of unannounced visits to my apartment to make sure I wasn't hooking up with either of my roommates."

Everyone then got out of the car and headed toward the restaurant. Once they got inside, Emily, Spencer, Aria and Noel were very promptly shown to their table.

"I'm going to go use the restroom." Aria said. "I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you." Spencer said.

Emily and Noel both took off their jackets and sat down, across from one another at the table.

"So…you ever actually hook up with either of those roommates you were talking about?"

"One of them, but only a couple of times."

"Sweet." Noel smirked.

"You into this whole vegan thing?" Noel asked, glancing down at the menu.

"Not really." Emily said. "I've never eaten anything vegan in my life."

"Me either. We can always stop at seven eleven for hot dogs after this." Noel laughed.

"Yeah. I think we might have to. I'll probably be starving after eating nothing but plant matter for dinner."

"Seriously…I know I got roped into coming here because I blew off a date, what'd you do wrong?"

"Nothing…Spencer said she wanted to try this place…so, here we are."

"That's it? She just asked you?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much."

"You're way too soft, dude...Spencer must be like crazy good in bed or something. I bet she's a total freak. It's always the uptight ones that like to get a little wild behind closed doors."

"I actually wouldn't know." Emily said, idly tapping her index finger on the table. "Spencer and I haven't slept together."

"You're kidding, right? Aria said you've been together for like two months. You guys really haven't fucked?"

"Not yet." Emily shook her head.

"Wow. You've obviously got the strongest will power of anyone I know, I'll give you that."

When Spencer and Aria returned to the table, Emily stood up and helped Spencer slip the sweater off of her shoulders. Emily then pulled out Spencer's chair and waited for her to sit down.

Aria cleared her throat, waiting for Noel to stand up and pull her chair out for her.

"Did you guys find something to talk about?" Spencer asked as Emily sat back down.

"Of course." Emily nodded, picking up her menu.

"So…what can we eat…" Noel motioned to himself and Emily. "That won't make us totally gag?"

"Stop being such a drama queen." Aria rolled her eyes. "It won't kill you to eat something other than processed, high fat garbage."

"I guess she told you." Emily snickered, staring across the table at Noel as she scratched her chin.

"And so I don't have to tell you in a minute…stop whining." Spencer said, glancing over at Emily.

"I didn't even do anything." Emily put her palms up in protest.

"I told you, it was anticipatory…now let's see…what sounds good?" Spencer looked over the menu.

"I really love the roasted rutabaga salad." Aria said. "It's awesome."

* * *

"Well…what do you guys think?" Spencer asked as she watched both Emily and Noel take a small bite of the artfully prepared potato dish they both had ordered.

Emily was the first to swallow.

"It's actually not bad." Emily said.

"Do you like it?" Aria asked, glancing over at her boyfriend.

"I'd still prefer a nice, big juicy steak, but it's not nearly as gross as I expected." Noel said.

"So…Noel, Spencer said you're into sports?" Emily said. "What do you play?"

"A little of everything, but I'm pretty focused on football right now. We're heading to the playoffs, so practice and working out is about all I have time for."

"What position do you play?"

"Quarterback."

"Cool."

"What about you, Emily?" Noel said, taking a drink from his water glass. "You're pretty big for a girl, did you play any sports?"

"I swam in high school and for my whole college career at Texas Tech."

"Nice." Noel said as he took another bite of his food.

A few minutes later, a different waiter than the one who had previously been taking care of the foursome approached the table.

"Hi, I'm Justin." The young man said, staring at Spencer. "I know Isaac's your waiter, but he's on a break, so I thought I'd come over to see if any of you needed anything."

"Could I get some more water?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. Water, no problem." He said, brushing off Emily, his eyes still focused on Spencer. "How about you? Do you need anything?" He smiled at Spencer.

Emily noticed that the waiter was obviously flirting with Spencer. Emily sat gritting her teeth, not wanting to get into a confrontation.

"Could I get some more water, too?" Spencer asked.

"Sure. Would you like lemon or anything?"

Emily then noticed the waiter's eyes, wandering down to Spencer's chest. He stared down Spencer's dress at the cleavage that her push up bra created. Aria noticed and glanced over at Emily, waiting for her to react. It was obvious that Emily had definitely noticed the waiter staring at Spencer's chest.

"Look, dude." Emily said, standing up. "First of all, her eyes are up here…" Emily motioned to Spencer's face.

"Relax." The waiter said. "What's the problem?"

"The problem is you've been hitting on my girlfriend since the second you walked over here. Do you not see that we're a couple?"

"Em, it's okay." Spencer took Emily's hand and tried to get her to sit down.

"No, it's really not." Emily then turned back to the waiter. "You better get lost, otherwise I just might be tempted to kick your ass into next week."

"Geez, chill out. I'll go get your water."

"No. Don't even worry about it." Emily said. "It can wait until our other waiter gets back."

The waiter then shrugged, turned and walked away.

"What a jerk." Aria said. "Do you wanna like talk to the manager or something?"

"No, let's just finish our dinner." Emily said as she sat back down. "I'm not letting one jackass ruin our night."

"Man, I thought you were really gonna pop that guy." Noel said.

"Yeah well…I wanted to." Emily said. "And it takes a lot to make me angry."

"Thanks for defending me." Spencer said, placing her hand on top of Emily's.

"It's my job, Spence."

* * *

Later that evening, when the bill came, Emily reached to the center of the table for the check.

"I'll get this." Noel said, taking the check from Emily.

"I got it, it's cool." Emily replied.

"You wanna go half?" Noel asked.

"Sure." Emily fished her wallet out of her jacket pocket and pulled out some money.

Once the bill had been paid, Aria, Noel, Emily and Spencer all walked out of the restaurant.

"Thanks for taking us to dinner." Aria said. "I know you guys would have rather gone somewhere a little less vegetarian."

"I actually liked the food." Emily said. "I wouldn't mind going to Vedge again."

"We'll have to make plans." Spencer smiled.

Emily opened the front passenger side door of the car for Spencer.

"Thank you." Spencer leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Emily's lips before getting into the car to make their way back to Rosewood.

 


	44. Chapter 44

Later that night, when Emily and Spencer arrived back at Emily's apartment, Emily parked Spencer's Mercedes in the space next to her Toyota. She got out of the SUV and walked around to open Spencer's door for her. Emily extended her hand forward to help Spencer out of the car. Spencer followed Emily to the door and waited for her girlfriend to fish her house keys out of her pocket. Emily unlocked the door and pushed it open. She then took a step to her left and waited for Spencer to go inside first. Upon entering the apartment, Emily slipped her jacket off and hung it up on the hook next to the door.

"Thank you for taking me out tonight." Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and kissed her.

"Thanks for being my date...I'm so lucky. I get to take out the most beautiful girl in Rosewood. No one else gets that privilege."

Emily placed one of her hands on the side of Spencer's face and leaned down to kiss the brunette again. As they kissed, Emily slowly guided Spencer toward the couch. Without breaking the kiss, Emily sat down, pulling Spencer with her.

"So...thanks again for telling that creep of a waiter to get lost tonight." Spencer said as she laid her head on the architect's shoulder.

"I told you, it's my job to defend you. I couldn't sit there and not say anything." Emily lifted her arm and placed it around Spencer, pulling her girlfriend closer. "The jerk was staring down your dress the whole time...he's lucky I didn't kick the crap out of him. He was about three seconds away from getting punched in the gut."

"I have to say, you getting all jealous and protective of me is really sexy." Spencer said as she reached up and kissed Emily. "I love it."

"I'll always protect you. So...you feel like staying over tonight?" Emily asked as she gently kissed Spencer's neck. "I might be willing to cuddle."

"I can't believe you just admitted that you want to cuddle. You know you like it."

"I guess the secret's out." Emily laughed.

"You know, I'd love nothing more than to spend the night cuddling with you, you're amazing to spoon with. I love having your arms wrapped around me the whole night, even if you do snore in my ear."

"Okay, I might snore a little, but at least you never have to worry about being woken up by a super awkward case of morning wood." Emily laughed.

"That's definitely a nice perk of being with you." Spencer laughed too. "I'll give you that."

"So, you wanna go get changed, get under the blanket and watch a movie in bed until we fall asleep?"

"I wish I could, but I can't. My mom wants me home no later than twelve thirty. And I'm lucky I even got that, my dad wanted me home at eleven. He's never given me a curfew before. He's acting like such an idiot."

"I'm just glad that I get to see you at all. It doesn't even matter for how long."

Spencer smiled.

"We still have some time before I have to be home. We should probably make the most of it."

Spencer closed her eyes as her lips met Emily's again. Spencer opened her mouth, deepening the kiss and Emily quickly seized the opportunity to slip her tongue inside. Spencer's hands buried themselves in Emily's hair as she felt the architect's tongue slowly massage her own. Spencer leaned back against the arm rest of the couch as Emily shifted her position and began kissing Spencer's neck. A soft moan escaped Spencer's lips as Emily gently began sucking on her pulse point. Emily's hands slid up the front of Spencer's body and over her breasts as Emily alternated between kissing the brunette's throat and chest, as well as sucking on her neck. Spencer groaned at the feeling of an all too familiar ache and wetness growing between her thighs as Emily ravished the top half of her body. As of late, Spencer was finding herself becoming more and more aroused each time she and Emily ended up in a heated make out session. After a minute or two, Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest, causing Emily's lips to break contact with her neck.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked, unsure of why Spencer stopped her. "Am I being too rough?"

"Not at all...I've just been meaning to talk to you about something..." Spencer sat up a little.

"Spence. You know you can talk to me about anything. What is it?"

"Well...lately I've been having a lot of thoughts about us..."

"What kind of thoughts are we talking about?" Emily questioned.

"Like you and I naked, in bed together kind of thoughts...I think about it a lot when ever we make out…"

"So, are you trying to say that you want to have sex?"

"I don't mean like tonight, but yeah, I want to...I've waited a long time for the right person. I love you and you've been so patient and understanding with me, I appreciate that. I think I'm finally ready to take that next step with you."

"I love you too. So much." Emily smiled, leaned over and gently pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"But, there's something we need to talk about before we go there..." Spencer said, when the kiss was broken.

"What is it?" Emily asked, taking Spencer's hand in her own.

"I hope you don't get angry or offended, or uncomfortable…I don't really know how to bring this up, so I'm just gonna say it...I wanna know how many girls you've been with."

"Spencer...you're the only girl who matters."

"I'm glad you feel that way and this isn't easy for me to bring up, but you know that I'm a virgin and I think it's important to talk about your sexual history before we become sexually involved with each other. You can be honest with me. So just tell me the truth. Now...how many partners have you had?"

"Well...to be perfectly honest...I've had about twenty."

Spencer let go of Emily's hand and stood up. She looked as if she might even cry.

"Twenty? As in two followed by a zero? You've slept with twenty different women?"

"Spence." Emily stood up and placed her hands on her girlfriend's shoulders.

"No. Don't touch me." Spencer took a step back from Emily. "Twenty? Seriously?"

"Spencer. You already knew that I've been active. You knew even before we got involved. Why are you so upset about it now?"

"I didn't know how active. I always thought you were mostly over exaggerating. I assumed you had sex with a few girlfriends in high school or college and obviously with your fiancée, but after you broke up, I thought you probably just had a few casual encounters and maybe a couple of one night stands...that I could deal with, but I never would have imagined..."

"I know twenty is a little much, but I've been sexually active since I was sixteen...you already knew that too. You shouldn't be all that surprised. I know people who have had way more partners than I have."

"I don't care if you know people who have had hundreds of partners. It doesn't matter. I only care about you and how many partners you've had."

Spencer closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to calm herself down.

"Did you use any kind of protection?"

"Not every time." Emily admitted as she stared down at her shoes.

"You don't even care enough about your own health to protect yourself? Do things like STDs not matter to you? You can still get and spread diseases even if you've only been with women, Em."

"I'm aware of that and for the record, I don't have, nor have I ever had an STD." Emily snapped. "AND I really don't need you to lecture me about safe sex. You're my girlfriend, not my mother or my doctor.

"Well, as your girlfriend, I think I have every right to be concerned about how many women you've slept with and whether or not you were safe. When was the last time you had sex?"

Emily took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled, knowing Spencer wouldn't like the honest answer she was about to give.

"It was about two months ago..."

"We've been dating for two months. You didn't..."

"Spencer. I never cheated on you. It was just before you and I started dating."

"How long is just before?" Spencer asked, her irritation was very obvious.

"I slept with someone the night before Aria and Hanna set us up on our unofficial first date to the movies."

"You slept with someone and the very next night you kissed me and told me that you had feelings for me?" A few tears began to well up in Spencer's eyes, but she fought them back.

"I was depressed over not knowing what to do about my feelings for you. I convinced myself that a girl like you could never possibly go for someone like me. I was drunk and I ran into a girl at the bar that I sort of had a short thing with at one time. I wasn't in a good state of mind that night."

"So because you were wasted that makes it okay?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I might have been hooking up with another girl, but I swear I was thinking about you the whole time."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Sure, you were banging some bar slut, but it's all okay because you were thinking about me." Spencer said sarcastically. "It's nice to know I was on your mind while you had your tongue shoved in some tramp's..."

"Listen, you're the one who asked me to be honest and I was." Emily cut Spencer off. "And now you're pissed off at me because I told you the truth?" Emily's tone was much more belligerent, in fact, this was the first time Emily had ever even raised her voice to Spencer. "I'm twenty three years old, Spencer. I thought you were mature enough to accept the fact that I've been around the block once or twice."

"Or twenty." Spencer replied, snidely. "That's more accurate."

"You can't possibly be this naïve. Just because you've decided to be abstinent, doesn't mean the rest of us have made the same choices."

"I understand that, but I've chosen to be abstinent because I believe that sex should be based on love. I just don't understand how you can lay down with someone and share such an intimate and personal experience without any emotional involvement. Besides that, have you ever thought about what kind of example you're setting for your youth group kids? They look up to you. Would you ever encourage them to go out, get drunk and sleep around with anyone and everyone?"

"No. Of course not."

"Then why is it okay for you? Haven't you ever heard of leading by example? You're basically a 'do as I say, not as I do' type of person, in other words that makes you a huge hypocrite. Are you really okay with that?"

Emily just shrugged. The truth in Spencer's words definitely stung.

"How can you sit in church every week and pray and promise to lead a good, moral life, then the minute you walk out those doors, throw that all out the window and pretty much just rip your clothes off and jump into bed with any skank who will drop her panties for you? Do you even know the names of all the girls you've ever been with?"

"Actually, I do." Emily snapped, angrily. "You want me to write you out a detailed list of every single girl I've ever fucked? I can tell you where, when, how many times, for how long and what positions I fucked them in too. How does that sound? Would you like that?" Emily's tone was very sarcastic and very unlike anything Spencer had ever heard her girlfriend use before. She rarely ever even heard Emily swear.

"Wow. Do you hear yourself? You obviously don't respect any of the women you've ever slept with. I can't believe I thought that I'd be any different." Spencer wiped a few tears from her eyes, though she was angry for even allowing herself to cry. "You really had me fooled. Does the sweet, kind, sensitive, chivalrous, respectful Emily I thought I knew even exist, or is that all just an act to get girls to go to bed with you? I'm glad I'm finding all of this out now. Before I ended up being just the next notch in your headboard."

Spencer never even gave Emily the chance to respond. She turned and walked out of the apartment, making sure to slam the door as hard as she possibly could behind her. Spencer got into her car and sat in the driver's seat as tears began flowing freely from her eyes. She waited, hoping that somehow Emily would come after her, but she never did.

* * *

When Spencer got home that night, she flipped down the sun visor of her car and stared at her refection in the small mirror. Her eyes were red and cheeks stained with black mascara streaks. Spencer reached over into the glove box on the passenger side of the car and pulled out some tissues. She wiped the make up off of her cheeks and what was left from around her eyes. Spencer sat in the car a few minutes, trying to regain her composure. Once most of the redness had disappeared from her eyes, Spencer got out of her car and slowly walked to the house. She opened the door and stepped inside. She hoped that her parents had already gone to bed, but her mother was in the kitchen, cleaning up from their dinner party.

"Hi, honey. How was your date?" Veronica asked. "Did you and Emily have a good time?"

"Yeah. It was great. We really liked Vedge a lot." Spencer said, barely looking at her mother.

"It's a great restaurant, isn't it? You're home a little earlier than I expected you'd be, though."

"Yeah well, Emily has to be up early for work tomorrow, I didn't want to keep her up too late."

"You know, I was thinking, why don't you invite Emily to the club on Sunday? We can have lunch, play some tennis, maybe a little bonding opportunity will help your dad warm up to her a little."

"Maybe. I'll ask her."

"Okay. Do you two have plans for tomorrow?"

"No. I probably won't even see her. I think she's gonna pretty busy with work stuff all day…"

Spencer had to fight very hard not to cry, as she didn't want to have to explain her reason for being upset to her mother.

"All right. Do you want to sit down here and have some coffee with me? There's still a little left. You can tell me all about your date."

"Thanks, mom, but I'm kinda tired. I think I'm just gonna call it a night and head up to bed."

"Okay, honey. Goodnight."

"Night, mom."

Spencer took her heels off and slowly trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. She tossed her shoes into the closet and her cell phone onto the bed, before quickly ridding herself of the dress she was wearing. Spencer unhooked her bra and tossed it away, before walking over to her dresser and pulling herself out a t shirt. Spencer slipped the shirt on and pulled a pair of shorts out of her dresser as well. Once Spencer had put her shorts on, she turned on the lamp on her night stand and walked over to the wall, next to the door and flipped the switch off. Spencer walked over to her neatly made up bed, where she noticed the stuffed giraffe that Emily had given her. It was sitting on top of the pillow. Spencer could almost feel the toy staring up at her. Spencer took the giraffe from the bed and stuffed it deep into the back of her closet, where she'd no longer be able to see it. Out of sight, out of mind. Spencer then pulled down the corner of her comforter and got into bed. Spencer laid on her back, staring at the ceiling. A few moments later, she heard her phone chime. Spencer sat up and quickly grabbed her phone from the bottom of the bed, part of her hoped it was Emily texting. Spencer stared at the screen, it was only Hanna, wanting to know how her date went. Spencer didn't bother to type a reply. As she laid back down, Spencer accidentally grazed her iPhone's home button, bringing her lock screen to life. It was of course a photo of she and Emily. Spencer sighed heavily and powered off her phone. She reached over to set the phone on the night stand. As she did, she was unable to ignore the picture frame that contained the two photos of she and Emily in Love Park, that were taken only a few weeks ago. Spencer flipped the frame face down, not wanting to look at the photos anymore. She then turned off her lamp and rolled over to face the wall. Spencer could feel a fresh round of tears prickling her eyes. She blinked a few times, causing a few tear droplets to fall from her eyes and soak into her pillow case. Spencer closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but her attempts at getting any sleep that night would all prove to be futile.

 


	45. Chapter 45

Spencer had spent all of Saturday morning and afternoon in bed. She never received a phone call or even a text from Emily all day. Spencer thought endlessly about her fight with Emily. Every word they had said to each other echoed over and over in Spencer's head.

It was early that evening when Melissa entered Spencer's bedroom.

"Hey, Spence. Dinner's ready." Melissa said, walking into the room, where she noticed her sister lying in bed, still in her pajamas.

"I'm not hungry." Spencer said, not even looking up at her sister.

"Are you all right?" Melissa asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? Am I not allowed to spend a Saturday in bed?" Spencer said, pulling her blanket up over her body.

"I just assumed you'd rather be hanging out with Emily, that's all."

"I don't have to see her every single minute of the day." Spencer snapped.

"Are you guys fighting or something?" Melissa asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't feel like talking about it."

"Well...you want me to go kick her ass for you?" Melissa laughed.

"No. But thanks for offering." Spencer smiled a little.

"Look, Spence, what ever's going on between you two, I'm sure it'll be fine." Melissa placed her hand on top of her sister's. "You want me to bring you up something to eat?"

"No, thanks. I don't feel like eating. I just wanna lay here."

"Okay. If you change your mind and you wanna talk, I'll be here." Melissa stood up.

"Thanks."

* * *

It was well past noon the next day and Spencer still had yet to move from her bed. Spencer reached over to her nightstand when she heard her phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Spence." Hanna's voice came through the phone. "You wanna come to the mall with Aria, Ali and I?"

"No thanks. I'm not really in a mall kind of a mood today. I haven't even gotten out of bed yet."

"What's wrong?"

"Emily and I are fighting."

"About what? Aria said you guys all had a good time at dinner the other night. Didn't you?"

"Everything was great at dinner, we didn't start fighting until we got back to her apartment."

"What do you guys possibly have to fight about?"

"I don't really wanna talk about it right now. Okay?"

"Okay." Hanna said, sympathetically.

"I'm gonna go. Bye, Han. Have fun at the mall."

Spencer then ended the call and placed her phone back on the night stand.

It was about half an hour later that Hanna, Aria and Alison all walked into Spencer's bedroom to find Spencer lying in bed, facing away from the door.

"Hey, Spence." Aria said. "Your mom was on her way out, but she let us in."

Spencer wiped a few tears from her eyes, rolled over and sat up to face her friends.

"I thought you guys were going to the mall." Spencer said.

"Not when our best friend obviously needs us." Hanna said. "Come on, we need to get you out of bed. I brought you all of the after fight essentials." Hanna held up a white plastic bag. "I've got ice cream and plenty of magazines, I even slipped in some of those nerdy science ones you like. Oh and I brought chocolate too, lots of chocolate…and not the cheap stuff that tastes like wax, I got the good, imported kind from Switzerland."

"Thanks, Han, but I just wanna lay here." Spencer said.

"Fine. If you won't come out, then we'll just have to come in. Scoot over." Hanna said as she got onto the bed beside Spencer.

Aria and Alison both sat down near the foot of the bed.

"What happened between you and Emily?" Alison asked.

"Everything was great at dinner, we went back to her apartment and we started making out on the couch. Then I told her that I wanted to have sex..."

"And the problem is..." Alison said.

"I told her that I wanted to talk about her sexual history before we did anything."

"Total buzz kill." Alison said. "Do you know how to ruin a mood or what?"

"I wasn't planning on sleeping with her that night...but I asked her how many girls she's been with and everything kind of went downhill from there."

"Did she answer your question?" Aria asked.

Spencer nodded.

"So...how many chicks has she banged?" Alison asked.

"Twenty. Can you believe that? Emily, my Emily has slept with twenty different women. I freaked out when she told me and the next thing I knew we were both yelling and I walked out."

"Only twenty?" Alison said. "I expected it would have been more than that."

"How can you say only twenty?" Spencer said. "God, I couldn't name twenty people I'd even be interested in sleeping with."

"You have to remember, Emily's older than you are. She's been through four years of college and she's sexy." Alison said, casually. "Twenty isn't really a lot...your sister's the same age, how many guys have boned her?"

"Okay, gross. As far as I'm concerned, Melissa doesn't have sex." Spencer said.

"I guess Melissa's probably a bad example anyway." Alison shrugged. "She's kind of a prude."

"Alison. You aren't helping." Aria said.

"Our first time together was supposed to be special." Spencer sighed. "It was going to be prefect. Now it can't be. There are twenty other girls out there who Emily's been naked with. Twenty girls that she's done things with that I've only ever fantasized about. I wanted our first time to be loving and passionate, I wanted us to make love to each other. I don't wanna be just another screw for her...just another number."

"You won't be." Aria said. "Just because Emily's had sex without being emotionally involved with other girls doesn't mean she can't feel differently with you."

"Yeah, you and Emily love each other." Hanna said. "That's what makes it special. This shouldn't change anything between you guys. Emily's been amazingly sweet and I know you're totally crazy about her. Who cares how many girls she's been with? We all have pasts."

"Let me tell you something." Alison said. "If Emily was just looking for another meaningless fuck, I guarantee you, she'd have been long gone by now. If she didn't really love you, there's no way she'd ever be waiting around for a virgin when there are plenty of experienced, horny college girls in this town who'd hit that in a heartbeat."

"You know, Spence, in her own rude, inappropriate way." Aria glared at Alison. "Ali's right."

"I really don't wanna fight with Emily...I said some pretty terrible things to her..."

"What did you say, exactly?" Aria asked.

"I basically called her a hypocritical slut."

"You actually said that to her?" Aria asked.

"Well...not those exact words...but pretty much."

"Harsh, Spence." Hanna said.

"I know, but I was already upset about finding out how many girls she's been with, then she tells me that she got wasted and slept with someone the night before she confessed to having feelings for me. I didn't want to think about her being with some other girl that recently and she was being an ass to me too…"

"I understand why you would have been upset, but I know you guys can work this out." Hanna said. "You guys are so cute together, you shouldn't be wasting time fighting."

"What do I do now? Do I go apologize? Should I call her...should I send her a text…"

"Hell no." Alison said. "Let her sweat it out for a while. Let her come to you. If you get her wrapped around your finger now, you'll have her for as long as you want."

* * *

Later that evening, Emily was sitting at her desk, trying to work on her computer, but finding herself unable to focus. Emily leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as she thought about Spencer and what they both had said. Desperately needing to relieve some of her frustration and clear her mind, Emily decided to go to the gym. She got up and walked into the bedroom to change her clothes. Emily was on her way to her car, when she saw her next door neighbor, Gwen, struggling to unlock her front door as she was carrying multiple shopping bags from the mall.

"Need a hand?" Emily asked, walking over to her neighbor.

"Hey, Em. Thanks a lot." Gwen said as Emily took the bags from her hands.

Gwen unlocked the door and Emily followed her inside.

"Where do you want this stuff?" Emily asked.

"Would you mind just putting it in the bedroom?"

"No problem."

"You want a cup of coffee or something? I think I owe you one." Gwen said, when Emily walked out of the bedroom.

"Oh, uh, no thanks, I was just on my way over to the gym."

"You wouldn't happen to want a work out buddy tonight, would you?"

"Actually, that'd be great. I could use the company."

"Cool. Just let me change my clothes. I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

As Gwen jogged at a leisurely pace on the treadmill beside Emily, she glanced over at the architect who was now running full speed on her own treadmill, with sweat dripping down her face and soaking her tank top. Gwen slowed the pace on her machine until it came to a stop.

"Geez, Em. Slow down. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack."

Emily slowed down gradually and after a few moments came to a stop. Emily then picked up the towel that was draped over the front of her machine and used it to wipe the sweat from her face and chest.

"You okay?" Gwen asked. "You're going at it pretty hard tonight."

"I'm just stressed out, that's all."

"Girlfriend trouble?"

"How'd you know that?" Emily had a very surprised look on her face as she looked over at her friend.

"You just have this angsty, depressed look in your eyes that screams girl problems. Now, come on, tell me what you did."

"Why do you assume that it was me who did something wrong?"

"Just a hunch. Tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

"Okay, well, Spencer's a virgin…"

"You're not pressuring her to have sex, are you?"

"No, of course not…I'd never do that."

"Good."

"So…the other night, everything was going great. We just came back from having dinner in the city with two of her friends and we were making out on my couch and all of a sudden, she stops me. I asked her what was wrong, then she tells me that she's ready to have sex."

"I can see why that would piss you off." Gwen said sarcastically.

"Funny...anyway, she wanted to know how many girls I've been with."

"That's a little awkward, but a perfectly acceptable question, I think."

"I agree and I wasn't mad at her for asking. I was mad at her for flipping out on me after I told her the truth. She asked me to be honest and I was."

"Why'd she flip out? How many girls have you been with?"

"Twenty...I lost my virginity when I was sixteen, I didn't think twenty between then and now was even that many...but Spencer totally freaked out on me."

"Twenty may not seem like that many to us, but I'm sure that'd be devastating to a girlfriend who's never had sex once. She's probably scared that she won't be able to measure up to your past experiences. You've been with twenty women, Spencer probably feels like you've done all there is to do and she won't have much to offer."

"It'll be amazing with Spencer though, because this time around, I'm actually in love. Spencer's not just any girl to me..."

"Did you tell her that?"

"I wanted to, but I didn't get the chance, she got upset, I got defensive and yelled at her, then she walked out on me."

"She walked out on you? Did you at least follow her?"

"No. I was pissed. I haven't spoken to her since all of this happened on Friday night."

"It doesn't matter how angry you are. You always go after the girl, you big dumb jerk." Gwen said, gently punching Emily in the stomach. "You never just watch her leave."

"But, she didn't seem like she wanted to talk anymore, she just stormed out..."

"Sweetie, she's stubborn. Just like every other woman. I guarantee she wanted you to follow her. We always do, but we can't say that after a fight, we just walk out and hope the man or woman we love will chase us down..."

"God. I totally blew it." Emily sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she sat down on one of the pieces of gym equipment. "I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're human. All couples fight sometimes, babe." Gwen placed her hand on Emily's shoulder. "You and Spencer will be fine."

"Thanks, Gwen." Emily stood up. "I really needed someone to talk to."

"No problem. I know you're really sweet and I'm certain that Spencer knows that too. I think she just needs a little bit of reassurance from you."

"I guess..." Emily nodded. "But it's not like she's the only one who's nervous about sleeping together.

"What do you have to be nervous about?"

"What don't I have to be nervous about? She's waited her whole life. She's waited to fall in love and she's in love with me. She wants me to be the one and she's expecting her first time to be this amazing experience, what if I can't make that happen for her? I only get one shot at giving her the perfect night she's hoping for."

"Have you ever told her any of that?"

"No, of course not. I can't tell her that…I've never been nervous about sex before. I wasn't even this nervous my first time."

"Well, obviously you've never felt this strongly about anyone before. Em, I realize that you're not exactly the type to go around wearing your heart on your sleeve and that's okay, but I think if you open up and show a little bit of vulnerability by letting Spencer know that she's not the only one who's nervous, it'll really help to ease her mind."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

It was late the next afternoon when Emily finished a meeting with a client. Emily stopped off at one of the local floral shops and picked up a bouquet of two dozen assorted pink, white and yellow roses. Emily then made her way over to the Hastings' house, she hoped that Spencer had come home after school today. Emily pulled up to the house and noticed Spencer's car in the driveway. Emily parked her Toyota, next to Spencer's Mercedes. She shut the car off and picked up the bouquet of roses from the passenger seat. Emily walked up to the front porch, took a deep breath and rang the door bell. After a few moments, Spencer opened the door to find Emily standing in front of her.

"Please don't slam the door in my face." Emily said.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"These are for you." Emily handed the roses to Spencer.

"They're beautiful."

"Can I please come in? We really need to talk."

Spencer didn't say anything, but turned around and walked into the house, followed closely by Emily, who shut the door behind them. Spencer set the roses down on the coffee table and turned back around to face Emily.

"I'm sorry." Emily and Spencer both said in unison as their eyes met.

"Em, I..."

"Wait, just let me talk for a minute." Emily said. "Spencer, I'm so, so sorry. I was way out of line and I acted like a complete ass. That's not who I am at all. I'm not supposed to be the jerk who makes you cry. I'm supposed be the one who comforts you and protects you from everyone else, but I totally screwed that up." Emily quickly turned away from Spencer as she felt tears threatening. "I never really believed that I deserved you…" Emily lifted her arm and used her sleeve to wipe away a tear that had managed to escape from her eye. "And I proved it…" Emily dropped her head and stared down at the floor. "I don't blame you at all for walking out on me."

"I shouldn't have, but I was upset and hurt. I sat in my car for awhile, somehow hoping that you'd come after me…" Spencer stepped around Emily to face her girlfriend again.

"I really didn't know that you wanted me to." Emily said softly as a tear slipped from each eye and dropped to the floor.

"Of course I did." Spencer placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and lifted her head, to look into her girlfriend's eyes.

Spencer used her thumb to wipe away the moisture from Emily's left eye. "I just wanted you to come wrap your arms around me and tell me that everything would be okay, like you always do, but I understand why you didn't. I said some pretty awful things to you. I was judgmental and bitchy...and totally unfair to you…I'm really sorry..."

"Don't apologize. You were right, I am a hypocrite and I haven't exactly lived the most moral lifestyle recently…you're the only one who's ever had the guts to call me out on it."

"I didn't mean what I said...I was upset...I overreacted...but, I had a lot going through my mind. I mean you slept with someone the day before we got together. How was I supposed to feel about that?" Spencer said, calmly.

"I should have been more sensitive to you. I want you to know that I didn't tell you the truth about my sexual history and the girl at the bar to hurt you, okay? I told you the truth because I love you, you asked for honesty, you deserve honesty, so that's what I wanted to give you. I thought it'd hurt more if I lied and you found out the truth later on down the line."

Spencer took Emily's hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat down.

"I appreciate you telling me the truth. I asked you the questions, I just think that maybe I wasn't fully prepared to hear the answers. It's my fault for asking, I should never have said anything."

"No. You had every right to ask. I know you were only trying to protect yourself and I want you to know that I do care about my sexual health. I know it's stupid not to use protection when you're with different people. It's not as easy when you're a woman having sex only with other women, but that's no excuse. Since I haven't been exclusive with anyone, I do make sure to get myself tested regularly for STDs. I've been lucky enough to never have any diseases. I saw my doctor after the last time I had sex and I promise you, I'm one hundred percent clean."

"That's good." Spencer looked up at Emily. "I'm sorry about everything I said, if you're not seeing anyone exclusively, there's nothing wrong with hooking up with different people…I didn't mean to make it sound like I think I'm better than you, because I don't…I just worry that because you've played the field already, I won't be good enough for you, when we do sleep together. I guess it was just easier to get mad, than admit to being nervous."

"Spencer. Can I tell you something?" Emily took Spencer's hand.

"Of course you can." Spencer nodded.

"I'm a little nervous too." Emily said, hesitantly as she averted her eyes from Spencer.

"Really?" Spencer asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah. You've waited eighteen years, your whole life…I feel so lucky to be the person that you want to share such an intimate experience with. I think it's amazing that you've been strong enough to not give in to temptation. I know it's not easy and I can only hope that I'll be able to give you that one special night that you've been waiting so long for. I'm worried that I'll mess it up and you'll be disappointed. We don't get a second chance. I want everything to be perfect for you."

"Em. I always promised myself that'd I'd wait until I was in love and now I'm sure that I am. That's what'll make it perfect. Just you and me together. We love each other and nothing else should matter. I don't care that you've been with other people, as long as now, I'm the only one you want to be with."

"You mean everything to me and you're the only girl I want. The truth is, no matter how I've made it seem, I'm not exactly proud of my sexual history. My break up with Stephanie really screwed with my head…when she first left, I couldn't sleep through the nights, I could barely eat, I lost like twenty five pounds over the next two months. And I stopped going to church because at that point, I didn't even believe in God anymore. I didn't believe that he could exist and let everything I had be taken away from me. My mom would call and ask if I was still going to church and of course I'd lie…"

"Em, I understand, you went though a lot. I can't even imagine how it must have affected you…"

"When I decided to move to Rosewood, my self esteem was already at an all time low. I thought if Stephanie didn't want me after all I did for her, why would anyone else? With a pregnant girlfriend, who really needed my support, I had to grow up pretty fast. After practically being married and doing my best to raise a baby, when I found myself single again after three years, I really didn't know what to do and I ended up getting a little off track. I knew I didn't want to let myself get emotionally attached to anyone because I didn't want to get hurt, but I wanted to feel something again, so I slept with the first girl to show a little bit of interest and it all snowballed from there. I liked the physical aspect of being with someone, it made me feel a little less lonely, but sex without love has always felt kind of empty to me. I guess I was too stupid to realize that sleeping around wouldn't do me a bit of good."

Spencer squeezed Emily's hand and leaned in to hug her girlfriend. After a few moments Emily pulled back and stared into Spencer's eyes.

"I've made mistakes, I'm not denying that. And I do have regrets," Emily said. "But now, I'm coming out on the other side stronger than I've ever been and you've helped me get to this great place in my life. I finally see that I can love someone again and someone can actually love me back. I'm more than ready to put my past behind me and move on with my life. I'm not perfect, I know that, but I'll try my hardest to be the best girlfriend I know how to be for you."

"I love you." Spencer said, tears now running down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Spence. Probably more than you'll ever know." Emily said as a few tears fell down her cheeks as well.

Emily then wiped away Spencer's tears and brushed the brunette's hair away from her face before placing a soft, yet passionate kiss on her girlfriend's lips. As they kissed, Spencer's fingers tangled into Emily's hair. The brunette shifted her position so that she was straddling Emily's lap, she slid her hands down the architect's shoulders and undid the first few buttons on Emily's shirt.

Spencer then slowly slid her hands to the bottom of Emily's shirt, then up underneath it, her hands slowly wandered all over Emily's soft, smooth bare skin. A few minutes later, the front door opened and Veronica walked in to find her daughter in a heated liplock with Emily, straddling the architect's lap, her hands out of sight, somewhere underneath Emily's shirt. Emily had both of her own hands firmly planted on her girlfriend's backside. Veronica cleared her throat to announce her presence in the room. Spencer quickly turned around and made eye contact with her mother.

"Mom, you're home early." Spencer said as she got off of Emily and sat down on the couch next to her girlfriend.

"Court let out sooner than expected."

Emily's tan skin flushed over her face and neck as she quickly re-buttoned her shirt.

"I'm not exactly sure where this was headed, but your father will be in in just a minute, so you had better tone it down." Veronica said, in a rather relaxed tone of voice. "I'm going to get dinner started in just a few minutes. Spencer, do you want chicken or steak tonight?"

"Chicken."

"All right. Emily, you're more than welcome to join us." Veronica said.

"Can you?" Spencer asked, looking over at Emily.

"I'd love to and I'd be happy to help you cook, if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, sweetheart. Spencer, you better hang on to this one, she's definitely a keeper."

"I know." Spencer couldn't help but smile.

Spencer leaned over, kissed Emily's cheek and whispered the words 'I love you,' into her girlfriend's ear.

* * *


	46. Chapter 46

"Now, what kind of chicken should I make tonight?" Veronica wondered aloud as she opened the refrigerator.

"Missus Hastings, I don't want to impose, but I know a great recipe for a honey-lemon marinade." Emily said. "If you're interested...I'd be happy to cook for you all, if you'll let me."

"You cook?" Veronica looked and sounded surprised.

"I know. Shocking, right?" Emily laughed. "But, I do know my way around the kitchen, my mom taught me everything I know."

"Em cooks for me all the time." Spencer said. "She's amazing."

"I've had a lot of practice. When I had two guy roommates, if I didn't cook, they'd just order pizza. I mean I love pizza, but seven days a week is a little much."

Veronica smiled.

"Well...I think honey-lemon chicken sounds wonderful." Veronica said.

"Great...so why don't you go relax and leave the cooking to me tonight?" Emily said.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" Veronica asked.

"I don't mind at all. It's my pleasure. Maybe I can try using food to get on your husband's good side."

"They say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach and Peter does love to eat."

"Great. I'll see what I can do. I'll let you know when dinner's ready." Emily said. "It shouldn't be too long."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Veronica gave Emily a friendly smile before exiting the room.

"My mom totally loves you." Spencer walked over to Emily and hugged her.

"You wanna give me a hand with dinner?" Emily asked, before placing a kiss on top of Spencer's head.

"Sure."

Spencer then opened the refrigerator and pulled out a large package of chicken breasts.

"What all do you need?" Spencer asked.

"A lemon, lemon juice, garlic, a little bit of honey, salt, pepper and some cumin and dried oregano, if you've got it. Oh and some olive oil too."

"Here's the lemon juice and a lemon and some garlic." Spencer pulled the ingredients out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter.

"Where do you keep your spices?" Emily asked.

"Top shelf on the right, there." Spencer pointed to on of the cabinets.

Emily opened the cabinet and pulled out the honey and spices she had just mentioned. She then found a container of olive oil and walked back over to the kitchen island.

Emily retrieved a bowl, a whisk and grater.

"What do you want me to do?" Spencer asked.

"Can you put the chicken into a glass baking dish, while I make the marinade?"

"Yep."

Spencer watched as Emily poured the ingredients straight from their respective containers into the mixing bowl.

"Shouldn't you measure your ingredients?" Spencer asked.

"Measuring is for suckers." Emily laughed. "I'm pretty good at just eyeballing it."

"Oh, really? Is that what you tell your clients when you're building stuff for them? Don't worry, I don't need to measure, I'll just eyeball it." Spencer laughed.

"Of course not. Construction's different. You can't really improvise as much, you have to measure." Emily said as she began chopping the clove of garlic.

Once she was finished chopping the garlic, Emily added it to the bowl. She then picked up the grater and began to zest the lemon.

"That smells so good." Spencer said, inhaling the strong citrus scent.

"I know. I love cooking with lemon zest. It gives food such a nice flavor without being too overpowering."

"If you ever get sick of being an architect, at least you know you could have a career in cooking." Spencer said.

"I don't think I'll ever get sick of being an architect, but I guess it's good to have a back up career plan." Emily laughed.

When Emily finished with the lemon, she whisked all of the ingredients together and added the marinade to the chicken before covering the dish with plastic wrap.

"Okay, that'll need to marinate for about half an hour in the fridge."

"So, we've got half an hour...you wanna make out?" Spencer smirked.

"Um, your dad is right down the hall, in his office, so I don't think that's a good idea."

"Well...we can sneak up to my room..."

"Are you nuts? If your dad catches me up there, he'll kill me. Call me crazy, but I actually like living. We want your dad to change his opinion of me, remember?"

Spencer sighed heavily.

"I guess you're right."

"Do you have any white rice or potatoes or anything?"

"Yeah, there's rice on the top shelf of the pantry and a bag of potatoes on the bottom."

"Perfect. I'll just use the left over marinade to season up some rice and potatoes and by the time I'm done we can put the chicken in the oven."

"I'll go set the table in the dining room, then I'll be back to help you."

* * *

"I'm gonna go tell Melissa and Wren that dinner's ready." Spencer said.

"Okay. I'll go put the food out in the dining room." Emily said.

Spencer then walked out the door and to the barn. Melissa was sitting at the kitchen island on her laptop.

"Hey, dinner's ready." Spencer said. "Emily and I cooked."

"I saw Emily's car in the driveway when I got home. I guess you two made up?"

"Yeah." Spencer smiled and nodded. "We talked. We're okay, now."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

"Where's Wren?"

"He's in the shower. He should be done in a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll be in the house. Come in when you're ready."

Before dinner, Melissa walked into her father's office.

"Dinner's ready." Melissa said.

"I'll be out in a minute." Peter said, staring at his computer screen as he typed on the keyboard.

Melissa turned to walk out the door, but instead, closed the door and stepped back over to her father's desk.

"Emily is having dinner with us tonight...actually she was nice enough to cook for us."

"What's your point, Melissa?" Peter looked up from his computer.

"My point is, I want you to try to be decent to her and not act like such a jerk for once."

"One, this is my house, I have the right to act how ever I want. And two, I will not sit here and be lectured by my daughter."

"All I'm saying is that I think Emily deserves a little respect, whether or not you approve of she and Spencer having a relationship, Emily's always been nothing but kind and respectful to all of us."

"All of my respect for the girl went out the window when I found out she'd been lying to me for months."

"Don't you even care that by acting so hostile towards Emily, you're hurting Spencer? Spencer deserves to be happy and Emily makes her happy, why can't you just try to accept that? It would mean so much to Spencer if you just put forth a little bit of effort."

"This isn't open for discussion."

"Doesn't it bother you at all that Spencer was able to confide in Emily, someone who she barely knew, yet she didn't feel comfortable enough to come out to any of us? It bothers me...I'm her sister she's supposed to be able to tell me anything."

"That's between you and your sister. It has nothing to do with me."

"Well...Spencer told mom about she and Emily. She was afraid of you finding out, that should tell you something. I just think that we as a family need to take a step back, look at what we've done wrong and fix it."

"I'm not discussing this any more." Peter stood up, walked past Melissa, opened his office door and left the room.

Peter walked into the dining room and sat down at the table, where Veronica and Wren were already seated. Melissa followed a few moments later and sat down next to her fiancé.

"Come on, Em." Spencer took Emily's hand and led her over to the dining room table.

Emily swallowed hard as she took the seat beside Spencer and directly to the left of the head of the table, where Mr. Hastings was seated.

"Everything looks great, Emily." Veronica said.

"Thank you. This is one of my favorite recipes, I hope you all like it."

"So...what kind of jobs are you working on now, Emily?" Wren asked. "Anything interesting?"

"I just finished designing a strip mall and a bridge...but for right now, I'm just keeping myself busy with some smaller jobs until spring time, when prime building weather rolls around again."

"Maybe after Wren and I get married, you could help us design our house." Melissa said. "I mean, after we find a place to build it, of course."

"Sure, I'd be happy to." Emily said as she lifted a fork full of rice to her mouth.

"So how was your day?" Melissa glanced over at Wren as she placed a small piece of chicken into her mouth. "Are you still covering the ER?"

"I am, at least until the end of the week."

"Do you like working in the ER?" Veronica asked. "It must be pretty stressful."

"It can be. Everything's so fast paced, but it's really rewarding."

"I'm sure that your patients like you a lot." Peter said. "You're a good doctor."

"Thank you." Wren said.

"Em, this chicken is great." Spencer said, swallowing a bite of food.

"Thanks." Emily smiled.

"How's your food, Mister Hastings?" Emily looked over at her girlfriend's father.

"It's fine, Emily." Peter said, he didn't even bother to look over at the architect.

"Why don't you ever cook for me?" Melissa turned to Wren, trying to take the attention off of her father.

"I guess I'm in trouble now." Wren laughed. "You're making me look bad." Wren glanced across the table at Emily.

"Sorry." Emily laughed.

"Thank you so much for cooking tonight, Emily." Veronica said. "Everything is wonderful."

"It was really my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me to have dinner with all of you. Sure beats sitting alone at my apartment."

"You're welcome here any time, sweetheart." Veronica said. "Maybe some time you could even join us for lunch or dinner at the country club, it could be a great opportunity for you to network. You could introduce yourself to some new, potential clients."

"That would be great. Thanks, Missus Hastings."

* * *

Later that night, Emily and Spencer were sitting in the living room with Melissa and Wren, just making small talk when Peter walked in.

"It's getting late." Peter said.

Emily, of course, recognized this as her cue to leave and rather than force Peter to flat out tell her to leave Emily stood up.

"It is kind of late, I should really be going." Emily said.

"I'll walk you out." Spencer stood up and took Emily's hand, she turned around and shot her father a cold glare.

"Bye, Emily." Melissa said.

"It was nice chatting with you." Wren said.

"You too. Goodnight." Emily smiled at both Melissa and Wren.

Emily then turned to Mister Hastings.

"Goodnight, sir." Emily said as she extended her hand to Peter. "Thank you for having me to dinner tonight. I appreciate it."

"Goodnight, Emily." Peter said dryly, ignoring Emily's attempt at a handshake.

Peter then turned and left the room as Spencer and Emily walked to the front door. Emily took her jacket from the hook by the door before stepping outside with Spencer.

"Em, I'm so sorry about my dad. He's such an ass."

"It's okay. I get it." Emily said as she wrapped her jacket around Spencer's shoulders. "I mean, your sister's engaged to a young, handsome British doctor...and you're dating the hired help...no wonder he hates me."

"Is that really all you see yourself as?" Spencer asked. "The help?"

"Well, that's what I am. I just can't help feeling like your dad would like me a whole lot more if I was a doctor or a lawyer or…"

"It isn't a competition." Spencer said. "You might have been hired by my dad, but you're so much more than just someone who worked here. You're this sweet, kind, amazing person. You're young and you have a successful career in architecture, you should be proud of that. I know, I am."

"You are?"

"Of course I am. I love bragging to everyone about my sexy architect girlfriend."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily smiled.

"Oh and by the way, Hanna told me that her mom hit on you the other day. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks you're sexy."

"Oh, I don't know about hit on. She might have flirted with me a little bit, but I don't think she realized she was doing it."

"You're so modest. Just promise me you won't all of a sudden decide you're into older women."

"Don't worry, I won't." Emily smiled. "I've always been much more attracted to women younger than I am. I like being the older one in the relationship."

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and rested her head on Emily's shoulder.

"I'm so glad we made up, today." Spencer said. "I hated not talking to you. Even if it was only for a couple of days. I don't want to ever have to be without you."

"I love you, Spence."

"I love you, too." Spencer pulled back and stared up into Emily's eyes.

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's. After a few long moments, Emily broke the kiss.

"You should get back inside. I don't want you to freeze." Emily said.

"Okay...can I see you tomorrow?"

"You can come over after school. I should be home."

"I'll see you then."

Spencer returned Emily's jacket to her.

"Goodnight." Emily said just before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on Spencer's lips.

* * *

Late the next morning, Emily was sitting at her computer, working when her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but it was a Texas caller, assuming it was probably either her father or her mother, she picked up.

"Hello…" Emily said.

"Hello, I'm looking for Emily Fields." A male voice on the other end said.

"This is Emily Fields."

"Ms. Fields, my name is Anthony Williams, I'm the head contractor who will be in charge of the Fort Hood Army Base project you applied for. I've been reviewing the rough sketches you submitted with your application and I'd really like for you to work on this project."

"I applied for that job months ago. I hadn't heard anything, so I assumed I didn't get it."

"We had somewhat of a delay in obtaining building permits and we had to go though many designs, but your sketches were by far the best we've seen. You're obviously very talented."

"Thank you, sir."

"And I also see that you're an experienced contractor as well…"

"Yes. I help with construction on many of my own designs."

"I'd love to have you come work with my team and I on this project."

"Well, I really don't know…I…"

"This is a big opportunity for a young architect. I know you're in Pennsylvania right now and you've probably got some obligations there, but the project should only take around four or five months to complete and a government contract could really help get your name out there. The money's great too. I think you'd really be doing yourself a favor by accepting."

"Can I please have just a little time to think about it?"

"How about if I fax you a copy of the contract? Take a day or so to look it over and get back to me."

"That would be great. Thank you."

"Excellent. Is the fax number listed on you résumé and business card still current?"

"It is."

"Perfect. I'll send the contract over in a minute. I'd really appreciate if you'd give this project some serious thought."

"I certainly will, sir. Thank you."

"Thank you. I hope we'll be in touch soon. Have a good day."

"You too."

Emily ended the call and looked down at the fax machine on the floor next to her desk. It rang, signaling that she had an incoming fax. After a moment or two, the fax began printing out the multi-page contract. When it was finished, Emily picked the papers up and began to carefully read them over. She thought about the project and how the contractor was right, a project like this could indeed help her image, but Emily thought about how hard it would be for her to leave Spencer for an extended amount of time. Emily felt a headache coming on. She knew that she now had some big decisions to make, but she wouldn't decide on anything until she had the chance to talk to Spencer about it first. And discussing this with Spencer was exactly what she planned to do that afternoon.

 


	47. Chapter 47

Emily sat at her desk, absently tapping a pen on the wood, as she read over the contract for what felt like the millionth time. Emily glanced away from the paper and caught a glimpse of the clock, it was already after two p.m. and she had yet to even shower or get out of her pajamas. Emily couldn't believe that she had spent most of the morning working and much of the afternoon contemplating a job offer half way across the country. Emily leaned back and ran her hands through her hair as she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Knowing that Spencer would be out of school soon, Emily decided that she should probably take a shower and get dressed.

When Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment, she walked inside, but didn't immediately see her girlfriend.

"Hey, Em? You home?" Spencer called out.

"Hey, Spence." Emily opened the bedroom door and walked out, towel drying her hair.

Emily hung the towel around her neck and leaned forward to place a kiss on Spencer's lips.

"Did you just get out of the shower?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. I had kind of a busy morning with work stuff. It's actually been nice working from home. I can work all day in my underwear if I want to."

"That's okay with me." Spencer smiled and patted Emily's chest.

"How was school?" Emily asked.

"It was okay. Boring, same as every other day."

"I'm glad to know high school hasn't changed since I was there." Emily laughed as she turned and tossed her towel into her bedroom, where it landed on the corner of the bed.

"No, don't throw that on your bed, it's still wet." Spencer walked past Emily and into the bedroom.

Spencer picked up the towel and walked back across the room.

"Hang this up in the bathroom." Spencer handed the towel back to Emily.

"Okay, okay, geez, mom." Emily laughed.

Emily walked into the bathroom and tossed the towel over the shower rod.

"So…I was thinking, you wanna go see a movie or something tonight?" Spencer asked. "I got all of my homework done at school, so we have the whole night."

"Sure…we can do that…but there's, um…something I want to talk to you about…"

"Is everything okay?" Spencer was obviously worried by Emily's tone.

"Yeah…just come sit down with me." Emily took Spencer by the hand and led her over to the couch.

"So…what did you want to talk about?" Spencer asked.

"I got offered a job today. It's a government contract to design and help build a new Army base."

"Em, that's awesome." Spencer hugged her girlfriend. "Where is Philadelphia putting an Army base?" Spencer asked when she pulled away.

"The job isn't in Philadelphia…" Emily hesitated.

"Where is it?" Spencer's breath caught in her throat.

"It's for my dad's base…in Texas."

"So…you're leaving?" Spencer's eyes almost immediately began welling up with tears.

"I didn't say that. I asked the guy for some time to think about the job. I wanted to talk to you before I said anything."

"You must want it, if you applied for it…why didn't you tell me you were applying for a job in Texas? Is it because of my dad? Are you looking to get away from here…away from me?"

"No…of course not…" Emily squeezed Spencer's hand tight. "Spencer, there's nothing your dad could ever do to make me want to run away from you. I love you. I've never loved anyone this much…I promise, this has absolutely nothing to do with you or your dad. I applied for that job months ago…long before I even met you. The only reason I applied at all was because my mom constantly bugged me to…I thought if I at least applied, it'd get her off of my back for a while, I never expected that I'd actually get the job."

"How long would you have to be in Texas?"

"It'd be…four…" Emily stumbled over her words. "Maybe five months…"

Spencer averted her eyes from Emily's, not wanting to let Emily see her cry. She wiped away a few tears as they slipped down her cheeks.

"Well…now it looks like you have a decision to make." Spencer closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath.

"No. We have a decision to make. Together. I mean, this is a great opportunity and everything, a government contract, a ton of money, this is something every architect dreams of…but on the other hand, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, I don't want to leave you…if you don't want me to take the job, just say so and I'll stay…"

"Em, obviously I don't want you to go…"

"So then I'll stay here with you." Emily lifted Spencer's chin and looked into her eyes. "Problem solved."

"No, you didn't let me finish. I don't want you to go, but it'd be selfish of me to keep you here when you have this amazing opportunity waiting for you. Do this for yourself. You're always thinking of other people first, but for once, think about you."

"You want me to take the job…"

"You have to…I'd be a terrible girlfriend for letting you pass it up. And you're amazing at what you do, your dad's base would be so lucky to have you."

"Are you sure? Four months is a long time…"

"It is. I'll miss you so much and I know that having a long distance relationship won't be the easiest thing, but we can make it work. I know we can. Just promise me that you'll be back in time to take me to my sister's wedding. I've already told everyone how amazing you are, I want them to meet you."

"I promise. I'll be there. No matter what." Emily leaned forward and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

After a few moments the kiss was broken.

"Damn you for being such a great architect." Spencer said, as she wrapped her arms around Emily, giving her a bone-crushing embrace. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily said as she returned the embrace.

After a few minutes, Emily pulled away.

"I guess I'm going to Texas…I'll call the contractor tomorrow and find out when I start."

"No, you're gonna call him right now and tell him you want the job, then you're gonna call your mother and tell her that her baby's coming home."

Emily just nodded as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

Once Emily had composed herself enough, she pulled her phone from her pocket and called the contractor's number.

"This is Anthony." The voice on the other end said.

"Mister Williams. This is Emily Fields."

"Ms. Fields, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"I know, but I'm calling to tell you that I want the job."

"Fantastic. Now…could you be here by Saturday? I'll be out of town until then."

"Saturday, as in four days from now?"

"Yes, I know it's short notice, but you won't have to worry about finding a place to stay or anything like that, the base will provide housing and any type of transportation you need."

"That's all right. My parents live about fifteen minutes from the base, I'll be staying with them. My father is a supervisor and trainer on the base. Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Fields."

"Lieutenant Colonel Fields is your father?"

"He is."

"I've heard great things about him…we'll get a flight booked for you. I was hoping that we'd be able to meet for dinner Saturday evening and go over the contract and sign everything, you know get the official business stuff out of the way. Then we can start on the base plans Monday morning."

"Sure…"

"Would you like to fly down before Saturday to give you time to settle in before our meeting?"

"No Saturday will be fine. Could you please make the flight as late as it possibly can be?"

"Of course. I'll send you details of your flight time and all of that as soon as I get it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank you, Ms. Fields. I look forward to meeting and working with you."

"Likewise. I'll see you Saturday."

When Emily ended the call, she looked over at Spencer.

"They want you on Saturday?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. The contractor wants to meet me for dinner to go over the contract and we'll start plans on Monday."

"God, I can't believe you're leaving so soon."

"Neither can I…but the sooner we start the sooner I can come back."

"Good point." Spencer smiled weakly. "Now, call your mom. I bet she's gonna be so excited…but you'll let me take you to airport on Saturday, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Emily placed her hand behind Spencer's head, pulling her closer as she gently kissed her girlfriend's forehead.

* * *

The next day at school.

"What's wrong, Spence?" Hanna asked as she approached her friend at her locker. "You seem kinda down in the dumps today. I thought everything was back to normal with you and Emily."

"It was. Everything was perfect, but then yesterday she tells me she got this great job offer in Texas. They want her to design a new Army base…"

"So…is she taking the job?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "We talked about it last night and I told her to take it…she's leaving Saturday afternoon and she'll be gone for like four months…maybe five…" There was obvious sadness in Spencer's voice.

"Four or five months? You can't possibly be okay with her leaving…"

"Of course I don't want her to go, but she needs to. This is an incredible opportunity for Em and she really deserves it. I love her and I won't hold her back, I don't want her to end up resenting me…"

"You're such a great girlfriend…are you gonna be all right with having a long distance relationship?"

"I have to be, I don't really have another choice." Spencer sighed heavily. "I love Emily and she loves me…I know it'll be tough and I'll miss her like crazy…this just sucks…I've seen Emily almost every day for the past three months and now, I won't get to see her at all…it's not fair…"

"I know." Hanna said, wrapping her arms around Spencer. "But, you guys will be fine. You're both strong."

* * *

That afternoon, when Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment, she walked into the bedroom to find Emily lying on the bed with an open, but empty suitcase, sitting at her feet.

"I'm glad to see you've been productive today." Spencer said sarcastically.

"I just really hate packing…I have like zero motivation."

"You're leaving in three days and you need four months worth of clothes, that should be some motivation."

"I don't need that much…I still have a lot of clothes at my parents' house."

"Well you still need some stuff…I'll help you pack." Spencer tossed her purse onto the bed.

Spencer walked over to the closet and began looking through all of Emily's suits.

"I don't really need suits." Emily said as she got up off of the bed. "I'm gonna be sitting in an office drafting and working outside on the construction site for most of the project…"

"Yeah…but you have a dinner meeting with your boss before any of that…now as much as I love you in tight, worn out jeans and t shirts that show off your totally hot body..." Spencer tugged on Emily's shirt. "I'm not sure that's the look you want for a business dinner…"

"I guess you're probably right."

"Good. So I can pick you out something to wear, then?" Spencer tuned around and began looking through Emily's closet again.

"I'd love that. I always look super snazzy when you pick out my clothes."

"Oh my God, who says that?" Spencer laughed as she turned around to face Emily.

"What? Snazzy is a word, people use it."

"Yeah, maybe in like the nineteen thirties..." Spencer shook her head and turned back around.

As Spencer browsed through the closet, Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer's waist from behind and gently kissed her neck.

Spencer smiled to herself as she placed her hands on top of Emily's.

"You should wear this." Spencer reached for a red button down shirt and a black blazer with black pants. "Red Raiders colors." She turned around. "You should show a little Texas Tech pride."

"That's a great idea."

"We should probably iron it before it goes into the suitcase…I don't want it to wrinkle, I want it to be perfect for you…"

Emily noticed that Spencer had tears in her eyes.

"Spence…are you okay?"

"I'm trying to be…but it's hard…I'm gonna miss this…us being together every day, hanging out at your apartment, going on dates…cuddling up together…me falling asleep with my head on your chest, listening to your heart beat…just you, in general…"

Emily reached up and dried Spencer's tears.

"I'm sure you'll be busy with your friends and school and everything, you won't even have time to miss me. Besides, I'm only going away for a little while, I'll be back…"

"I know, it's just that I've seen you basically every day since we met and now I won't have that…"

"We can still talk every day. I mean, I know it definitely isn't the same as physically being with each other. Nothing could possibly compare to being able to hold you and kiss you, but we can Skype or FaceTime, we can text and e-mail, I'll even hand write you letters and send them snail mail, if you want…"

"You'd actually write me letters?"

"Of course, if you'd like that…"

"I would…a lot." Spencer reached up and wiped one of her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I love letter writing, I think it's really personal and so romantic."

"Then, I'll pick up some stationary tomorrow and I've already got great pens…I draw for a living, I take my writing utensils very seriously." Emily smiled at Spencer.

Spencer couldn't help but laugh.

"You know what…packing can wait, let's just hang out for a while…" Emily said.

Emily then picked Spencer up and carried her over to the bed, where she set her down.

* * *

It was about an hour later that Spencer opened her eyes and lifted her head from Emily's chest. Emily then stopped stroking Spencer's hair.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry…" Spencer said.

"It's okay."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Only about an hour…we were lying here and you just kinda drifted off, you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."

"Hey, Em?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you since I found out about this job offer…there's something I wanna know…"

"What is it?"

"Will you see her…Stephanie, I mean…"

"I honestly don't know…my mom said she's run into her a few times so I assume she still lives in the area…but I'm not gonna go looking for her, if that's what you think…"

"No, I just can't help but think about what might happen if you were to see her again…what if you do run into her and all of those old feelings come rushing back…where would that leave us?"

"Spencer…I'm in love with you and only you, okay? You don't have anything to worry about, I promise. Even if I would happen to run into Stephanie, it's absolutely over between us…I gave her all I had and that wasn't good enough. I wasted so much time and energy loving someone who didn't love me back, I won't make that mistake again. I'm in a good place with you and this relationship, I'd never risk doing anything to screw that up."

"Thank you…I just really needed to hear you say that."

Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer's forehead.

"So…I was thinking…my flight doesn't leave until two on Saturday, why don't you come over Friday night after school…I'll cook you a nice romantic dinner and we can just spend the evening together."

"That sounds great, but I thought you had a meeting Friday evening with that couple in Bucks County that you designed that guest house for."

"I finished that design already and I convinced them to push our meeting up to afternoon instead. I guess the guy has a two brothers who are contractors and they're going to be building the guest house. It shouldn't take me long at all to meet with them."

"Can you come to my hockey game tomorrow? We only have a few games left…"

"I'll definitely be there, I wouldn't miss it…but, right now, how about if I go make us some popcorn and we can watch a movie? I'll even watch what ever you want, no whining, no complaining, no questions asked."

"Even I pick something really cheesy, you won't complain?"

"The cheesier, the better." Emily laughed as she leaned over and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips, before getting up. "I'll be right be back."

Spencer then watched as Emily got up and disappeared from the room. As much as Spencer hated that Emily would be leaving in just a few days, she mentally promised herself that she wouldn't let any sad thoughts take over and interfere with the time she and Emily still had together until Saturday.

 


	48. Chapter 48

When Spencer heard her phone chime, she slowly opened her eyes, realizing that both she and Emily had fallen asleep during the movie that they had been watching. Spencer smiled to herself when as she felt Emily's arms subconsciously pull her closer. Spencer reached for her phone on the nightstand, she saw that she had a new text message from her father, so she opened it.

You were supposed to be home by 1030. Where are you?

I'm on my way. I'll be home in 15 min.

"Em, wake up." Spencer gently shook Emily's shoulder.

"What?" Emily yawned and slowly opened her eyes.

"We fell asleep. My dad wants me home."

"Okay." Emily stretched out for a moment, then got up off of the bed.

Spencer and Emily walked through the apartment to the front door.

"I'll walk you to your car." Emily said.

"It's only across the parking lot."

"I know, but it's dark out and maintenance hasn't fixed the lot's lighting yet. Come on."

Emily took Spencer's hand and they walked across the parking lot to Spencer's Mercedes. Emily opened the driver's door for her girlfriend.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Spencer said. "My game's at six."

"I'll be there."

Emily leaned forward and placed a long, lingering kiss on Spencer's lips.

"I love you." Emily said when the kiss was broken.

"I love you too."

Spencer then got into the car and drove off. Once Spencer was out of sight, Emily headed back to her apartment.

* * *

When Spencer got home from Emily's apartment, she walked in the front door where she saw her mother sitting looking over paperwork, which was spread out all over the kitchen island.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said.

"Hi." Spencer said unenthusiastically.

"Is everything okay?" Veronica asked.

"Not really."

"What's wrong?" Veronica stood up and walked over to her daughter.

"Emily got a job in Texas and she's leaving Saturday...I'm just still trying to process it."

"How long will she be gone?"

"Like four or five months." Spencer's voice was shaky and tears began falling from her eyes.

"Honey, I'm sorry." Veronica wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"I'm happy for her and everything, it's a great job and she'll get to see her parents, but I'm gonna miss her so much." Spencer sobbed into her mother's shoulder.

"I know." Veronica gently rubbed her daughter's back in small circles. "I'm sure she'll miss you a lot too."

After a few long moments, when they separated, Veronica gently wiped away the moisture from Spencer's eyes.

"Why don't you sit down?" Veronica said. "I'll make you some tea."

"Okay." Spencer nodded.

Spencer sat down at the kitchen island. Veronica gathered up all of her paper work and slipped it into her brief case.

"What will Emily be doing, exactly?" Veronica asked.

"She's designing and helping build a new Army base."

"That's wonderful. Emily should be very proud of herself."

"I know...before she accepted the offer, she asked me how I felt about her taking the job...she said if I didn't want her to go, she wouldn't, but I knew that I couldn't let her pass this up."

"It sounds like you both had a mature, rational discussion about the situation. Emily obviously cares a lot about you if she asked for your opinion."

"I know...I'm glad that she's doing this, she really deserves this job, but I just hate that she'll be so far away."

"I understand and it's okay to be upset about the distance factor, but I think telling her to take the job shows a lot of maturity from you...you put your own feelings aside and encouraged Emily to do something good for herself. She's lucky to have such a considerate and loving person in her life."

"Thanks, mom...I know we're supposed to have dinner at the club on Friday with Wren and Melissa, but Emily and I kind of have a date…and Hanna wants me to sleep over at her house with Aria and Alison afterward, I could really use a girls' night…"

"I think it'd be okay if you missed dinner at the club this time. I'm sure your sister and Wren will understand."

"Thanks…I told Emily I'd drive her to the airport on Saturday too, so I might not be home until late afternoon or evening, just so you know."

"That's fine, honey. I'm sure Emily will appreciate the extra couple of hours with you before she has to leave."

A moment later, Peter entered the room. He looked down at his watch, then at Spencer.

"You're late."

"I'm sorry. Emily and I were watching a movie. We fell asleep, okay? I didn't mean to."

"I don't give you a curfew for my own health." Peter said. "When I tell you to be home by a certain time, I mean it, Spencer."

"Peter, relax." Veronica said. "It was an accident. Besides, she was with Emily, it's not like Spencer was out roaming the streets."

"I think he'd rather me have been out on the streets." Spencer said. "It's funny that I've never had a curfew until I started dating Emily."

"Well…we've obviously been much too lenient with you. That needs to change."

"You know what, I'm just gonna to go bed. Goodnight, mom. I love you."

Spencer then stood up and walked out of the kitchen without so much as even looking at her father.

"When is this tension between you and Spencer going to end?" Veronica asked. "This is getting ridiculous and I'm tired of it."

"I'm only trying to protect our daughter."

"From what? Emily? The sweet, respectful, perfectly-mannered kid who comes over here, cooks us dinner and still manages to be nothing but polite even after you treat her like she's somehow less than a human being? You know, before you came in here, Spencer just told me that Emily was offered a four month long job in Texas designing an Army base…"

"Good for her." Peter interrupted. "It sounds like a great opportunity."

"I'm sure it is, and Spencer seems to think so. She told Emily to take the job. Even though she doesn't want her to be away, she still told Emily to go. Spencer put aside her own wants to put her girlfriend first. I think that says a lot about our daughter and her relationship. I know that Spencer is going to miss Emily a lot these next few months and she could really use some support from her family. I think it would mean the world to her if you could show a little bit of compassion and acceptance."

"Veronica, you have a right to feel how ever you want about Spencer and Emily, but so do I." Peter's tone was surprisingly calm. "Now, you, Spencer and Melissa can hound me all you want, but it just won't change how I feel."

Without saying another word, Peter turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

The next afternoon, Alison, Aria, Hanna and Spencer all met in the cafeteria at lunch time.

"Hey, Spence." Aria said. "How's Emily? Is she ready to leave for Texas?"

"She's almost got everything packed, thanks to me, if I didn't help her, it never would have gotten done." Spencer laughed.

"It really sucks that she'll be so far away." Hanna said. "Why couldn't someone have offered her a huge job in Philadelphia?"

"I wish." Spencer sighed. "But, unfortunately that's not how life works."

"You've had a couple of days to think about everything, are okay with her leaving?" Hanna asked.

"I have to be...I just wish we had more time before she leaves."

"Yeah well…she's leaving in like two days, you guys gonna fuck before then or what?" Alison said.

"Emily hasn't brought it up or anything, but I think I do wanna sleep with her before she leaves."

"Good." Alison said. "Sink your claws into her now, before she meets some cute, little Texas girl with a Kelly Clarkson accent, who'll ride her like a horse in a rodeo."

Spencer just rolled her eyes.

"You gonna go over to Emily's apartment tonight?" Hanna winked.

"If I do, it won't be for that." Spencer said. "I have a hockey game tonight. Emily will be there and I might go to her place afterward, but I don't wanna just jump into bed with her...I know we don't have a lot of time, but I still want it to be at least somewhat romantic."

"What did you have in mind?" Aria asked.

"Emily's cooking me dinner tomorrow night at her place…"

"Aw...well that sounds romantic." Hanna said.

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe after dinner we could...you know...I just hope she'll be in the mood, what if she doesn't want it?"

"She'll want it." Alison, Aria and Hanna all said simultaneously.

"It's been two months, you haven't given the girl so much as one lousy hand job and she's going away for the next four months." Alison said. "Trust me. She'll want anything you're offering up."

"I told my mom I was having dinner with Emily, then later on having a girls' night and staying over at your house." Spencer looked over at Hanna. "I mean, I seriously doubt my mom will call or anything but I wanted to tell you, just in case."

"I got your back." Hanna smiled. "I'll hold up my end of the deal and cover for you, but you have to hold up yours and have some hot, steamy going away sex with Em, then tell me all about it. And I want all the details."

"Got it." Spencer smiled. "Thanks, Han."

"So...have things gotten any better between Emily and your dad?" Aria asked.

"Not really. Emily's always sweet and perfectly polite, but my dad is still an ass to her every time. Em and I cooked dinner for my family the other night and when she went to leave, she tried to shake my dad's hand and he just totally blew her off. If there was an award for the biggest douche in the universe, my dad would be a shoo-in."

"I'm sorry, Spence." Aria said. "That really sucks."

"I just feel so bad for Emily. She tries really hard with my dad and she feels insecure because he loves Wren and he won't even look her in the eyes. She doesn't think she's good enough for my family because she's not a doctor or a lawyer."

"How can she possibly think she's not good enough?" Hanna said. "She's an architect. She went to college, she's super smart and she knows how to like design and build cool stuff. Not to mention, she's totally adorable, sweet and sickeningly polite. If I had brought her home, my mom would already be planning our wedding."

"You know, doctors are nice and all..." Alison said. "But honestly, I'd take a hot, sweaty construction worker with a totally ripped body over a boring doctor any day."

Spencer's mind then began to wander for a moment. She pictured Emily, before they were dating, when Emily had been working outside the barn, landscaping in nothing more than tight blue jeans and a white, sweat soaked tank top. Spencer thought about the way the sweat beaded over Emily's tattoo, causing the black ink to glisten brightly in the sunlight. Spencer shifted in her chair as she felt a sudden throbbing sensation between her legs.

"Spence? You okay?" Hanna asked, noticing the spaced out expression on the brunette's face.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine." Spencer said, shaking herself from her thoughts. "Emily's incredible. She has no reason to be insecure, but I think my dad's just really getting into her head. At least one good thing about her taking this job is that I can protect her from my dad. She won't have to deal with him for a while."

"Maybe she'll come back in four months and your dad will see that nothing's changed between you two, then maybe he'll start to lighten up." Aria said.

"I hope so…I really, really do…"

 


	49. Chapter 49

On Friday afternoon, once Emily had finished her meeting with her clients, she stopped by the grocery store, then the liquor store to pick up a bottle of red wine. Before heading home, she also stopped at the florist for a large bouquet of fresh cut long-stemmed deep red roses.

When Emily arrived back at her apartment, she decided to get a head start on dinner, as she knew it wouldn't be very long until Spencer arrived and she wanted to have everything already prepared for her girlfriend. Emily placed the bottle of wine into the refrigerator and unpacked the groceries, Emily decided that tonight she would recreate the first time she ever cooked for Spencer, by making a meal of steak and shrimp.

When the food was done cooking, Emily decided to take a quick shower. She stripped off her clothes, grabbed a towel and headed into the bathroom. She turned on the water and stepped into the shower. As the hot water cascaded down her naked body, Emily's mind began to drift off. She was still in disbelief that she was even offered this job and that she would be leaving for Texas tomorrow afternoon. Emily reached for her bottle of her favorite coconut scented shampoo, she squirted a generous amount into her hand and began to lather her hair. Emily thought a lot about Spencer and how much she was going to miss her these next few months. Emily was only pulled away from her thoughts once she realized that the shampoo was now running into her eyes. Emily reached for her towel and wiped her eyes. She then quickly rinsed and conditioned her hair. When she finally got out of the shower, Emily realized that she had been in much longer than she had meant to. She then heard her phone chime from the bedroom. Emily quickly wrapped a towel around her body and went into the bedroom, she picked up her phone and saw that she had a new message from Spencer.

I'm running a little late. I'll see you soon. I can't wait for our date. :)

Take your time. Dinner will be ready when you get here. I can't wait to see you.

Emily then tossed her phone onto the bed, she put on a black sports bra as well as a pair of black boy-short style panties. Before getting dressed, Emily spritzed a little perfume onto her neck, chest and wrists. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a light gray v neck t shirt. Emily towel dried her hair until it was only slightly damp, she then pulled her hair back into a pony tail and walked over to her closet. She took a black button down shirt with pink vertical stripes from a hanger, slipped it on and buttoned it up.

"What do you guys think I should wear?" Spencer asked as she looked through all of the clothes in her closet.

"You're just having dinner at Emily's apartment." Alison said. "You're not even going out."

"So? I still want to look nice."

"Yeah well, as soon as you tell Emily you want to have sex, it's not like there'll be enough blood going to her brain to even remember what you're wearing." Alison said. "Your clothes will be on the floor in like a second."

Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Emily can control herself." Aria said. "It's not like she's a guy."

"True." Hanna nodded. "Anyway…how about this?" she pulled out a short, black skirt with delicate white floral accents that looked liked lace.

"I really like that skirt." Aria said.

"I do too." Spencer nodded.

"What do you guys think of this top to go with the skirt?" Spencer stepped over to the closet and pulled out an opaque milky-white, silk button down blouse.

"Definitely wear it." Hanna said. "It'll look great with the skirt and you'll look awesome. Emily will totally love it."

Once Spencer had changed her clothes, she let Hanna touch up her make up. Spencer looked into the mirror and tousled her brunette locks over and over again until she was finally happy with how her hair looked.

"You ready for your date?" Aria asked.

"I think so." Spencer smiled. "I should get over to Emily's. I'm already running late."

"Spence…I'm not saying you shouldn't, but you know you don't have to sleep with Emily tonight if you're not ready…" Aria said.

"I know…but I really feel like this is the right time and I want to."

"I can't believe that by this time tomorrow our little Spencer is finally gonna be a real woman." Hanna joked, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"About time." Alison added.

"Shut up." Spencer laughed.

"Are you nervous?" Aria asked.

"A little, but I'm ready."

"You look amazing." Hanna said. "Now, go get your sexy architect."

When Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment, she walked in the front door and was immediately bombarded by the smell of freshly cooked food, though Spencer was unsure of exactly what kind of food. Upon walking in the door, Spencer noticed that the apartment was fairly dark, except for the light from the rapidly setting fall sun peeking through the windows and the flicker of two candles sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.

"Em?" Spencer called out.

"Hey, beautiful." Emily said, as she walked over to Spencer with a dozen roses in her hand. "These are for you."

"Thank you." Spencer reached up to kiss her girlfriend.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, by the way." Emily said.

"You're so sweet...I thought you didn't wear pink." Spencer said, gently tugging on Emily shirt.

"I do for you. I'd do anything for you. You know that."

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily, hugging her for a few long moments.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow."

"Let's not think about that right now." Emily placed a kiss on Spencer's forehead. "I made us a nice dinner, let's just focus on each other tonight."

"Okay." Spencer looked up at Emily and smiled.

Emily took Spencer's hand and they walked over to the kitchen table. Emily had covered the table with a white table cloth, there were two plates of food and a bottle of wine sitting amongst dozens of rose petals that Emily had scattered across the surface of the table.

"You made..."

"Steak and shrimp scampi." Emily finished Spencer's sentence. "It's what I made the first time I ever cooked for you."

"I know..." Spencer said softly as she placed her hand on her chest. She was certain that she had just felt her heart skip a beat. "I just can't believe you did this all for me."

"Believe it, I love you." Emily said as she placed both of her hands on Spencer's shoulders from behind.

"I love you too. You're so romantic."

"I can be, when I set my mind to it." Emily moved Spencer's hair to the side and gently kissed her girlfriend's neck. "Now, what do you say we start on the food before it gets cold?"

"Sounds great."

"I'll put these in some water until you take them home." Emily said, taking the bouquet of roses from Spencer.

Emily then pulled Spencer's chair out and waited for her to sit down, before taking the roses into the kitchen.

When Emily returned to the table, she picked up a corkscrew to open the wine bottle. Emily removed the cork, filled Spencer's glass as well as her own before taking her seat at the table.

"Everything smells amazing, Em."

"I didn't do too bad, if I do say so myself."

Spencer smiled as she picked up her knife and fork to begin cutting her steak.

"How did your meeting go today?" Spencer asked as she stabbed a shrimp as well as a chunk of meat and lifted it to her mouth.

"It went really well, didn't take very long either. The clients are happy with the design for the guest house. We made small talk for a little while, I discussed the plans with the contractors and that was that. Simple enough."

"That's great…oh and just so you know, this steak is amazing."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like It." Emily smiled. "If I remember correctly, you were a little skeptical the first time I said I'd cook for you."

"I admit I was." Spencer laughed. "But you totally surprised me."

"You know, three and a half months ago when I started working for your family, I never would have imagined that you and I would ever be together like this. That first day we met, we only talked for a minute when your dad introduced us, but I just couldn't keep my eyes off of you."

"I couldn't keep my eyes off of you either. I couldn't stop thinking about you and I can't really explain it, but I just knew that you were someone I really wanted to know better."

"I felt the same way about you, I knew there was something about you that I liked a lot, even though we only just met..." Emily smiled at Spencer in the candle light. "But I never thought in a million years that you'd ever be able to think of me as anything more than a friend."

"So…if you still have enough room, I've got dessert." Emily said, standing up from the table.

"There's always room for dessert." Spencer laughed.

"I was hoping you'd say that…excuse me just one second." Emily got up and walked into the kitchen.

Emily returned a minute later holding two small plates, each with a slice of cheesecake, topped with raspberries. She set one plate down in front of Spencer.

"White chocolate raspberry cheesecake." Emily said. "Looks good, doesn't it?"

"It looks incredible. Did you make this?"

"Unfortunately, I can't take credit for it." Emily said as she sat back down. "I was at the grocery store, I walked by the bakery and my sweet tooth got the best of me."

"The same thing would have happened to me." Spencer laughed.

Spencer used her fork to cut a small piece off of her slice of cake. She then lifted it to her mouth.

"I love white chocolate." Emily said as she also took a bite of her cake.

"So do I." Spencer said. "Thank you for all of this tonight, Em. Dinner was amazing…just being with you is amazing…"

"I was more than happy to cook for you. I always am. I love taking you out, but I actually really like having dinner dates at home sometimes. It's a lot more intimate."

"You're right and I definitely love that." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on top of Emily's. "So...would you mind if I stayed over tonight?"

"Of course I don't mind, but won't your dad be angry if you don't come home?"

"I told my mom that I'm sleeping over at Hanna's…I highly doubt that either of my parents will check. I can help you with any last minute packing or what ever you need before you leave."

"Thanks…hey, Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something for you." Emily said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a key, which she handed to Spencer.

"While I'm gone, I want you to feel free to come over here any time you want, if you need a quiet place to study or you just need to get away from home or what ever. And even when I come back, I want you to hold onto that key."

"Em, are you sure? You don't have to give me this."

"I want you to have it. My place is your place."

"Thank you." Spencer stood up and moved over to Emily. "This actually really means a lot to me."

Spencer then wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and sat down across her girlfriend's lap.

"Could you just do me a favor and at least like open the windows every once in a while so it doesn't get too stuffy in here." Emily said as she wrapped her arms around Spencer's waist.

"I can do that." Spencer turned her head and pressed her lips to Emily's.

"Did we pack everything you need?" Spencer asked, looking at Emily's luggage, which was stacked neatly near the closet.

"I think we got pretty much everything the other night. Thanks again for helping me. I really hate packing."

"You're welcome...are you sure you have enough church clothes?"

"Yeah. I've got a few suits and vests and stuff at home. I'll be fine."

"Okay. Just making sure you'll look good for when you take your mom to church." Spencer wrapped her arms tightly around Emily.

"You know, it's gonna be so weird not having my mom try to hook me up with every girl she knows...I really hope that you'll be able to come visit me. My parents wanna meet you...well, I mean you've met my mom, but only as an acquaintance. I really want her to get to know you as my girlfriend. And I know my dad can't wait to meet you."

"Maybe I could come down for a few days over Christmas break? I have a student council trip to D.C. that I have to go on right after Christmas, but it's only for a couple of days and I'd be free over New Years."

"I'd love to have you come see me over New Years."

"We'll work it out then." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and reached up to kiss her. "Do you need to take any of your tools or anything?"

"No, my boss said they'd have everything."

"Will you have a car while you're gone? Do you need your truck or your Prius? I can figure out some way to get them to Texas..."

"It's all right. I can borrow my mom's car some days or ride with my dad when he doesn't have to stay on base or I'll just ride my bike. No big deal."

"Isn't the job site like ten miles one way from your parents' house? How are you going to ride a bike that far every day?"

"Oh, when I said bike, I meant like a motorcycle."

"You have a motorcycle?"

"Uh huh. It's been stored away in my parents' garage since I moved. I just haven't had a chance to bring it up to Pennsylvania."

"When you say motorcycle...what are we talking about, like a moped?"

"It's not a moped." Emily laughed. "It's a Kawasaki Ninja. It's legit. My mom was never really all that crazy about it, but I needed something to get me to and from campus and a bike was a lot cheaper than a car."

"Okay. Why didn't you ever tell me you had a motorcycle?"

"I guess it just never came up." Emily shrugged.

"Well, I bet you on a motorcycle is like super hot. When I come to visit, you'll let me ride you, right?"

Emily laughed, causing Spencer to blush at her own misspeak.

"Oh God, ride WITH you, is what I meant to say."

"Sure, that's what you meant." Emily laughed as she placed her hands on Spencer's hips and kissed her.

Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and deepened the kiss. After a few moments, Spencer moved her hands to either side of Emily's face as the kiss became more and more heated. Spencer slowly backed her girlfriend toward the bed. When Emily felt the backs of her calves make contact with the bed frame, Emily sat down pulling Spencer with her. Spencer closed her eyes as her hands moved from Emily's face down over her shoulders. Emily opened her mouth, slowly deepening the kiss. Spencer responded by opening her own mouth and allowing Emily to slip her tongue inside. They battled for dominance of the kiss, only parting for a few seconds at a time to take a breath whenever necessary. Spencer's hands slid over Emily's chest as Emily began kissing her neck, stopping periodically to suck on the brunette's pulse point. Spencer slowly began undoing the buttons on the architect's shirt. She was unusually clumsy, her hands trembling slightly as she reached the bottom of Emily's shirt. Once Emily's shirt fell open, Spencer slipped her hands up underneath her girlfriend's t shirt, letting her fingers wander all over her Emily's bare abdomen. Emily could feel herself becoming more aroused at Spencer's touch. Emily's lips soon found Spencer's again.

"Em..." Spencer moaned into the kiss.

Emily could feel Spencer's hands trembling a little as they moved up to her breasts. Emily then broke the kiss to look at Spencer.

"You okay?" Emily asked. "You seem a little tense."

Spencer took a deep breath before speaking.

"Em...I wanna..."

Spencer didn't even have to finish her sentence, the look in her eyes spoke her mind for her.

"Right now?" Emily was obviously taken by surprise. She had never expected that Spencer would want to have sex that evening and now all of a sudden Spencer was just springing this on her.

"Yeah." Spencer said softly. "I want this..."

"Spencer, if this is about me leaving tomorrow..." Emily said as she took Spencer's hand in her own. "I promise, I'm gonna love you just as much when I come back. You don't have to prove anything to me, okay? We don't have to rush this...I don't want you to feel pressured to..."

"I don't feel pressured." Spencer's tone was sincere. "And I never have. Em, you've been so patient and understanding and now I finally feel like I'm ready to really give myself to you...I want it to be tonight."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked with utmost concern in her voice as she stared straight into Spencer's eyes, while gently caressing her girlfriend's hand with her thumb.

"I'm sure." Spencer nodded.

"I love you." Emily reached up and tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear.

"I love you, too." Spencer smiled as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Emily's again.

As they kissed, Spencer reached behind Emily's head and pulled out the hair tie that was holding back Emily's thick, raven locks. Emily's dark hair cascaded down over her shoulders. Spencer then placed her hands behind her own body and moved herself up to the top of the bed. Emily stood up and then kneeled on the bed, she crawled to the top and straddled Spencer's waist as she leaned down to lock lips with her girlfriend again. Spencer slid her hands up Emily's chest, up her shoulders and slipped her shirt off. After a few moments, Emily leaned back and pulled her own t shirt up over her head, she quickly tossed the shirt away. Spencer's eyes slowly drifted from Emily's face, down her upper body, to the architect's tight and toned abdominal muscles. Spencer, of course, had seen Emily shirtless many times before, but tonight it was different.

Spencer reached out and placed one of her hands on the middle of Emily's chest, just below her collar bone. Emily watched as Spencer slowly trailed her hand downward, between her breasts and down her stomach. Emily swallowed hard and stared downward as Spencer took her belt buckle in her hands and undid the prong from its hole. Spencer then unbuttoned and unzipped Emily's jeans, but Emily made no immediate effort to remove them. Emily locked eyes with Spencer as she took the top button of the brunette's shirt between her fingers.

"Can I?" Emily asked permission before undoing any of the buttons.

Spencer bit her lip and nodded. She watched as Emily then slowly began undoing the buttons one by one, revealing Spencer's sky blue bra underneath. Spencer sat up a little to allow Emily to more easily remove her shirt. The architect carefully slipped the silky material down her girlfriend's shoulders and off of her body. Spencer's hands buried themselves into Emily's hair as her lips connected with architect's again. Emily began gently kissing Spencer's neck and chest. Spencer felt a sudden throbbing sensation between her thighs as Emily sucked on her pulse point. Spencer placed her hands on Emily's hips and tugged her jeans downward a little. Emily broke contact with Spencer's neck and pulled her jeans down her thighs. Once they were far enough down her legs, Emily kicked her jeans the rest of the way off of her body. Emily's hands fumbled around Spencer's hips, searching for a zipper. Emily eventually found it, but when she did she didn't immediately unzip it, but only stared down into Spencer eyes. Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek as she gave her girlfriend a reassuring nod, which served as the consent Emily needed to continue. Emily slowly undid the zipper and gently tugged the material down Spencer's long, toned legs. Emily rarely ever spent this much time on foreplay, but with Spencer, she found herself enjoying each and every moment of it. In fact, if Spencer had asked Emily to stop right then and there, she would have been just fine with it because tonight, Emily's usual feelings of lust when in this position were completely replaced by feelings of pure and honest love for her girlfriend.

Spencer began to feel a little nervous, now that she and Emily were both down to nothing more than their underwear. Although, Spencer never said a word, Emily could sense the brunette's anxiety.

"It's okay." Emily said as she leaned down and placed a kiss, directly over Spencer's rapidly beating heart. "I love you so much." Emily's lips then found Spencer's again for a chaste, but passionate kiss.

Spencer placed one hand behind Emily's head and closed her eyes as she pulled Emily down and deepened the kiss. Spencer shuddered as she felt Emily's body on top of her own. Their still covered breasts were pressed tightly together and Spencer squirmed on the bed a little, becoming wetter and wetter by the moment at the feeling of Emily's rock hard abdominal muscles rubbing against her own bare skin. At this point, Emily's arousal was also very quickly intensifying, her core throbbed as Spencer's tongue worked against her own. Desiring more skin to skin contact, Emily leaned back, grasped the bottom of her sports bra and pulled it up over her head, she tossed it away and caught Spencer staring up at her now completely bare torso. Emily's breasts were round and perky, they were a little larger than Spencer's, but not by very much. Spencer reached up and placed both of her hands on Emily's breasts, she could feel the architect's nipples stiffen against her palms. Emily let out a soft groan of pleasure as Spencer began a slow, massaging rhythm with her hands. After a few moments, Emily reached underneath Spencer's body and fumbled slightly at first with the hooks on her girlfriend's bra, but after a few seconds, Emily managed to single-handedly undo all three clasps. Emily took the bra straps in her hands and gingerly slid them off of Spencer's shoulders. Spencer then began to feel a little self-conscious about Emily seeing her fully topless, as she always worried about the size of her breasts, even with clothes on. Emily slid the straps down Spencer's forearms and dropped the bra off of the bed. Emily gazed down at the creamy white flesh of Spencer's pert breasts and her hard pink nipples, which were begging to paid some attention and Emily would, but not quite yet. Emily placed her hands on either side of Spencer's shoulders and just stared down into her girlfriend's eyes. Spencer watched the silver cross around Emily's neck dangle forward and back as the architect hovered over her body.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Emily asked as she used one of her hands to brush a few stray strands of hair away from Spencer's face.

Spencer smiled as she reached up and cupped Emily's cheek with her hand. Emily then placed a kiss on Spencer's lips before moving lower to kiss her neck and chest, leaving random marks all over pale, sensitive flesh. Spencer's head sunk down into the pillows, her hands sliding up and down the small of Emily's back, pulling her as close as possible. Spencer moaned at the feeling of Emily's bare breasts against her own. After a few minutes, Emily had subconsciously began gently thrusting her hips into Spencer's body as she continued to ravish the brunette's neck and chest. Emily slowly kissed her way downward and between Spencer's breasts. Emily took Spencer's left nipple into her mouth, causing her girlfriend to gasp in pleasure. Emily sucked on the hard nub, pausing every so often to flick her tongue across it. Emily brought her left hand up to pay equal attention to Spencer's right nipple with her index finger and thumb. A surge of heat rushed directly to Spencer's core as Emily took her nipple between her teeth and lightly bit down, not enough to hurt Spencer, but just enough to kick her arousal into high gear. By now, Spencer knew that her panties would be soaked all the way through and she wanted rid of them, but she first wanted to rid Emily of her underwear. Once Spencer had mustered up enough courage, she slid her hands down her girlfriend's hips and pulled Emily's boy-shorts down as far as she could manage. As much as Emily was enjoying Spencer's breasts, she took this as a signal, that Spencer wanted to keep going and that she was ready for more. Emily slid her underwear the rest of the way down her own legs and quickly kicked the garment off.

Spencer stared at Emily, who was now kneeling above her, straddling her waist. Spencer's eyes wandered down the architect's body as she took in her first glimpse of a fully naked Emily. Emily's body was, of course, basically the same as Spencer's, yet it was still very different at the same time. Emily looked even better naked than Spencer had ever imagined in any fantasy she ever had. Spencer couldn't believe this was actually happening. She was finally about to lose her virginity to Emily, the only person who she could say that she's ever truly been in love with. Spencer watched the slight up and down movements of Emily chest and abdomen as she breathed, but unsure of what Spencer was thinking, Emily didn't immediately move. Spencer's eyes then drifted a little lower, her gaze settling between Emily's legs. Emily was well landscaped, having only a very minimal amount of perfectly trimmed dark hair. Spencer blushed when Emily caught her staring.

"I'm sorry…" Spencer's face and cheeks reddened as she averted her eyes from Emily's body.

"It's okay." Emily leaned down and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips.

Emily caressed Spencer's breasts and slid her hands down her girlfriend's stomach until they reached the hem of her sky blue panties, which perfectly matched the bra that Spencer had been wearing. Emily hooked her fingers into the waistband of Spencer's panties and glanced up at her girlfriend for permission to remove them. Spencer smiled, giving Emily the go ahead that she needed. Emily slowly began pulling Spencer's soaked panties downward. Once Emily had taken Spencer's underwear the rest of the way off, she balled up the garment in her hand and tossed it over the side of the bed. Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer's lower stomach, the scent of Spencer's arousal was inviting and as much as Emily wanted to take Spencer, right then and there, she fought the urge to go down on her girlfriend just yet; she wanted to take things slowly. Emily slid back up Spencer's body and kissed her girlfriend's lips. As they kissed, Spencer could feel Emily's wetness as the architect's center rubbed against her own and it was driving Spencer crazy. Spencer was more aroused than she had even been and she desperately needed Emily to touch her.

"Em, please…" Spencer whispered as her hands slid up her girlfriend's shoulders.

Emily smiled and slid her tongue into Spencer's mouth as she continued rocking her hips against Spencer's body. Without breaking the kiss, Emily situated herself in between Spencer's legs. Spencer bent her knees and placed her feet flat on the bed as she spread her legs apart to accommodate Emily's body between them. Spencer placed a hand behind Emily's head as their tongues fought for dominance of the kiss. Emily's right hand slid down Spencer's shoulder and over her bent knee. Emily stroked the outside of Spencer's thigh, before moving her hand across Spencer's knee to the inside of Spencer's leg. Emily's fingertips unhurriedly made their way up the brunette's inner thigh. Once Emily had reached Spencer's center, before going any further, Emily broke the kiss to speak.

"If it hurts, or if you want me to stop at any time for any reason just say so and I'll stop." Emily said, staring into Spencer's dark eyes, which were now clouded with desire. "Promise me."

"I promise." Spencer nodded. "Don't hold back at all though."

"I wasn't planning to…that's why I needed you to promise…I love you, Spencer."

"I love you too." Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head as she pulled her girlfriend down for another heated, passion filled kiss.

That being said, for the first time, Spencer's body was invaded by a finger that wasn't her own. Spencer moaned into the kiss as Emily moved her fingers up and down, lubricating them, before shifting towards Spencer's entrance. Emily slowly pushed only her index finger inside of Spencer. Emily was gentle, yet firm as she began tentatively thrusting her finger in and out, using long, drawn out movements, her lips never leaving Spencer's.

"You okay?" Emily broke the kiss to speak.

"I'm fine." Spencer said softly.

Spencer's hands found Emily's hair, her fingers tangling themselves in her girlfriend's thick, dark locks. When Emily felt that Spencer was ready, she added her middle finger. Spencer felt a slight pressure, but no real pain at the addition. But, being that Spencer was very tight, Emily gave her girlfriend's body few extra moments to adjust before she began thrusting her fingers in and out again.

"God…" Spencer closed her eyes and groaned, her hands wandered from Emily's hair, all over her girlfriend's back as Emily continued her pace.

Emily moved downward to kiss Spencer's neck and chest. At this point, Spencer forgot about being nervous as she was much too overwhelmed by the pleasure she was currently receiving. Spencer's legs twitched involuntarily when she felt Emily's thumb brush against her clit. It wasn't very long before Emily felt Spencer start to thrust her hips up off of the bed in an attempt to meet Emily's hand halfway. Spencer gripped the architect's muscular shoulders, she left crescent-shaped fingernail marks all over Emily's smooth, tan skin.

"Open your eyes." Emily said softly into Spencer ear.

Spencer opened her eyes and stared up at Emily. Emily's gaze never left Spencer's face. There was more love and desire in Spencer's eyes than Emily had ever experienced in her entire life. Emily had forgotten what it felt like to truly make love to someone, but Spencer was bringing back feelings in Emily that only a few months prior she was sure she'd never feel again. Tonight, Emily's full attention was on Spencer. It felt good for Emily to really focus on someone else, not just to get them off in hopes that they'd return the favor, but to show honest love and affection for another person through giving them pleasure.

Spencer spread her legs a little further apart, allowing Emily's fingers to penetrate deeper. As Emily continued to pump her fingers in and out of Spencer's body, Spencer wrapped her hand around Emily's muscular left forearm, which the architect was using to support her own body weight above her girlfriend. Emily leaned down and began kissing Spencer's neck again. Spencer inhaled the spicy, musky scent of Emily's perfume and it was intoxicating. Wanting to feel more skin to skin contact, Spencer pulled Emily down on top of her, Spencer's hands moved up Emily's well-developed biceps and back to her shoulders, though Spencer couldn't manage to keep her hands in one spot for very long. Spencer's hands wandered down her girlfriend's back, Spencer placed her palm flat on the small of Emily's back, as Emily's fingers continued to move rhythmically inside of her. After a few more minutes, Emily pulled her fingers out of Spencer's body, causing Spencer to groan at the sudden loss of contact.

"Em, please…" Spencer whimpered.

Emily placed a kiss on Spencer's lips before she slowly began kissing Spencer's chest. Emily continued to move downward, leaving a trail of heated kisses between Spencer's breasts, to her perfectly flat abdomen. Emily placed a kiss just below Spencer's navel; she then positioned herself lower on the bed and in between Spencer's legs. Emily used both of her hands to part Spencer's knees. Spencer's heart thumped hard against her chest in anticipation, she propped herself up on her elbows and stared down at Emily, they locked eyes for a few moments. Emily hesitated for a moment, her own heart racing, probably almost as hard as Spencer's was. Every fiber of Emily's being wanted this experience to be nothing short of perfect for Spencer.

Not wanting to make Spencer wait any longer, Emily smiled lovingly at her girlfriend before ultimately dropping her head down and taking her first long, slow, tentative stroke with her tongue. Spencer's breath hitched in her throat, she closed her eyes and laid flat on the bed once again as she felt Emily's tongue slowly glide up her center. The moment Emily's hot, wet tongue brushed her clit, Spencer all but lost her mind.

"Oh, God." Spencer moaned loudly as Emily continued very slow up and down motions with her tongue.

Spencer was coming undone at every stroke of Emily's tongue, she'd never felt anything quite like this before. It felt almost as if Emily was scratching an itch that Spencer never knew she had. Emily then took Spencer's hardened clit into her mouth and gently sucked on it. Spencer tightly squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the sheets below as Emily continued to overwhelm her with the greatest pleasure that she had even known. Emily brought her right hand up and slipped two fingers into Spencer's center, this time much more easily, Emily began moving her fingers in and out at a slightly faster pace than she had used earlier. Spencer's toes curled and she held the bed sheets tightly in her fists as she began raising her hips up off of the bed in time with the thrusts from Emily's fingers. Spencer could feel a sensation of heat rising from her toes up her body, she knew that she was close to the edge, Emily knew it too, as she felt Spencer begin to contract around her fingers. Emily then quickened the pace she was using with her fingers and flicked her tongue repeatedly against Spencer's clit, sending the brunette reeling.

"Em…" Spencer cried out loudly as her first non self-induced orgasm finally came crashing though her body and for Spencer, it felt amazing. Years of pent up sexual confusion, frustration and tension were finally released.

Emily smiled to herself as she heard her name echo off of the bedroom walls. Spencer's back arched, her hips bucked and Emily felt Spencer's strong contractions as well as an extra rush of liquid coat her fingers. Spencer felt as if her body was floating for a moment as wave after wave of intense pleasure washed over her from head to toe. Emily continued moving her tongue and gradually slowed the pace of her fingers as she helped her girlfriend ride out her orgasm. Once Spencer's contractions had ceased, Emily slowly pulled out of Spencer. Emily used the heel of her hand to wipe away the excess moisture from her chin before crawling back up Spencer's body. Spencer's skin was flushed and her eyes were still closed as she enjoyed the last few lingering tremors of her climax. After another moment or two, Spencer opened her eyes and stared up at Emily who was now hovering above her, sweat dripping down her chest and abdomen as she worked to catch her breath.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Emily asked, unsure of how Spencer would feel being kissed after Emily had just performed oral sex on her. Emily had found that some girls liked it and others didn't, so she just wanted to be sure that Spencer was okay with it first, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

Spencer smiled and nodded as she reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek. Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's. When Spencer opened her mouth, Emily slipped her tongue inside. As Emily slowly deepened the kiss, Spencer tasted herself for the first time on Emily's tongue. The taste didn't bother Spencer one bit and she returned the kiss without any hesitation at all. Spencer then pulled Emily down so that the architect's sweaty, naked body was pressed tightly against her own.

"That was amazing." Spencer broke the kiss and whispered into Emily's ear.

"Good." Emily smiled into the crook of Spencer's neck before gently kissing it.

After taking a few minutes to regain their composure, Emily and Spencer switched positions. Emily now found herself lying on her back underneath Spencer. Spencer began kissing Emily's neck and chest, much in the same manner that Emily had used on her. Emily actually felt her heart flutter in her chest as Spencer kissed the sensitive flesh over her collarbone. Emily closed her eyes and groaned softly as she felt Spencer's body grinding against her own. At this point, Emily was very painfully aroused, but she guessed that Spencer may not be ready to reciprocate in the way that Emily wanted, but Emily was perfectly okay with that, she just assumed that she'd take care of her own needs later on, after Spencer had fallen asleep. But, at the moment Emily would just enjoy what ever Spencer was comfortable with doing.

As Spencer kissed Emily's neck and chest, she tasted the saltiness of the sweat from Emily's skin. Spencer laid down so that the entire weight of her small body was resting on top of Emily's larger frame. Emily slid her hands up Spencer's back, caressing her girlfriend's silky smooth skin. Spencer shifted her position so that she was now straddling one of Emily's thighs. Spencer's hands slipped down to Emily's breasts, she ran her hands over them and lightly pinched Emily's stiff nipples between her fingers. Emily arched her back into Spencer's touch, causing her center to make contact with Spencer's knee. Only a moment later, Emily felt Spencer's lips encircle one of her nipples.

"Mmm…Spence…" Emily sighed as she sunk down into the mattress, reveling in the sensations that Spencer was giving her.

Spencer licked and sucked, taking her time with each of Emily's erect nipples. It was only a matter of a few minutes later when Spencer pulled back and began trailing a line of kisses lower, beneath Emily's breasts and down her abdomen. Spencer ran her hands all over the muscles of Emily's abs before laying a series of kisses all over the area. Once Spencer was satisfied with the amount of well-deserved attention she had paid to her girlfriend's rock hard abdominal muscles, Spencer lifted her knee over Emily thigh so that she was now kneeling in between Emily's legs. Spencer then spread Emily's legs apart, causing Emily to sit up and look down at Spencer.

"Spence, you don't have to, if you don't want…" As much as Emily wanted it, she didn't want Spencer to feel obligated to do anything that she was uncomfortable with.

"I want to." Spencer cut Emily off. "I wanna make you feel as amazing as you made me feel."

Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and kissed her girlfriend.

"Just remember, I've never done this before…so I'm sorry if I'm not that great…"

Emily didn't even let Spencer finish her sentence, she wrapped her arms around Spencer and pulled the brunette flush against her own body as their lips met once again in a heated lip lock. It was several minutes later when Spencer resumed her previous position between the architect's thighs. They made eye contact for a few long moments, neither one of them moving. Spencer definitely wanted to do this for Emily, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. What if Emily didn't like it or what if she couldn't get her to come? What if Emily had to fake it to spare Spencer's feelings, Spencer would be absolutely mortified. Though she never admitted it, right now, Emily was also more nervous than she'd ever been during sex. Emily had received oral pleasure many times before, but tonight, she actually felt incredibly vulnerable in this position with her girlfriend.

Spencer's heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she laid down on the bed. Emily bent her knees a little and Spencer quickly surveyed her girlfriend's anatomy, Spencer noted slight differences from her own body, but Emily was basically the same. Emily was swollen and hard, silently begging to be touched. Spencer brought her hand up and brushed her index finger over Emily's erect clit, causing her girlfriend's hips to suddenly jerk upward. Spencer took a few minutes to tease Emily with her fingers, but Spencer knew that Emily needed more and the sooner the better. Spencer took a deep breath, swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and pushed every last apprehension she had from her mind as she leaned in and slowly ran only the tip of her tongue from Emily's entrance all the way up to her clit in one long, firm stroke. Emily tasted fairly sweet and it didn't take Spencer long at all to get used to the taste.

"Right there…" Emily leaned her head back, a soft moan escaping her lips as Spencer's tongue connected with her most sensitive spot.

Spencer then slowly traced small circles with her tongue. Emily reached down and placed her hand on Spencer's head, she softly stroked her girlfriend's hair as Spencer changed her technique to a sharp, quick up and down motion. This was easily the most intimate thing Spencer had ever done for someone in her whole life and she was glad it was happening with someone who she both loves and trusts. Though Spencer was still a little unsure of herself, she guessed she was doing at least a half decent job based on Emily's moans and the fact that she hadn't stopped writhing on the bed. Emily's hand left Spencer's hair and flew back to the headboard of the bed.

"Fuck, Spence…" Emily's voice was raspy and she gripped the wood above her head as she felt Spencer take her clit into her mouth and begin roughly sucking on the hardened bundle of nerves. "That feels amazing."

Emily was finding herself to be much more vocal in bed than she normally was, usually just a few grunts and one or two expletives was all a partner could manage from her. But, Emily felt as though she was really able to let go with Spencer, probably because she was also finding sex to be much, much more pleasurable with Spencer than it ever had been with anyone else, even with the most experienced of partners. Emily subconsciously spread her legs a little further apart, giving Spencer better access. The architect's state of arousal was now higher than it had ever been; part of her didn't want this to end, but at the same time, she wanted to come because she desperately needed the release. Due to her lack of experience, Spencer honestly had no idea whether Emily was even close to orgasm or not, but since Emily seemed to be enjoying what Spencer was doing, she continued. Spencer could hear Emily's breathing steadily increasing by the moment and for some reason prompted her to began alternating between sucking and tracing random shapes with her tongue. Emily felt an intense tightening sensation building deep within the pit of her stomach as her orgasm quickly approached. It was only a matter of a few minutes later when Emily felt every muscle in her body tense, she felt as though she was on fire, her hips jerked upward, causing her to become even closer to Spencer's tongue, which had now instinctively gone into overdrive.

"Oh…God…Spencer…" Emily moaned, a sudden rush of heat sweeping over her entire body. It felt as if someone had set off thousands of tiny firecrackers inside her body. Emily thought she might literally see stars, her eyes rolled back in her head as she was driven to the strongest, most intense climax that she had ever experienced.

Though Spencer was inexperienced, she definitely knew by Emily's reaction that she came. Spencer sucked gently on Emily's clit for a few more seconds. Emily's entire body pulsed with small aftershocks as she slowly came down from her high. Spencer detached her mouth from Emily's body to which Emily was grateful for because at this point, she had become much too sensitive to be able to tolerate any more stimulation and she was on the verge of needing to ask Spencer to stop.

Spencer crawled back up to the top of the bed, she watched Emily's sweaty chest heave up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Very satisfied with herself, Spencer laid down on the bed next to Emily. After Emily had recovered, she sat up and reached for the blanket. She pulled the blanket up over both she and Spencer.

Emily rolled over onto her side and brushed a few stray hairs out of Spencer's face. Spencer smiled and placed her hand in the middle of the bed near the pillow she and Emily were sharing. Spencer moved a little closer to Emily, tangling their legs together. Emily took Spencer's hand and laced their fingers together. They spent a few minutes, not talking, but just holding hands and staring deeply into each other's eyes in their post-coital position.

"I love you, Spencer." Emily said, breaking the silence.

"I love you too…and I'm really glad my first time was with you…you're everything I've ever wanted and more."

"I feel exactly the same way about you. And you were totally worth waiting for." Emily said as she leaned over and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

Spencer soon let go of Emily's hand and moved impossibly close to her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms Emily and laid her head on her girlfriend's chest. Emily rested her chin on top of Spencer's head and gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. Emily leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Spencer's head. It had been a long time since Emily felt any desire to cuddle with anyone after sex, but of course with Spencer it felt good, for once in her life, something actually felt right. Usually, after orgasm, a part of Emily still somehow felt unfulfilled, sure the physical release felt good, but Emily still always felt empty and alone, though those feelings were gone now. Emily had never felt the way she had tonight with Spencer, not to mention the fact that she had never experienced such a strong orgasm before, not even in any of the time she had spent with Stephanie. Emily was pulled away from her thoughts when she heard Spencer speak.

"Hey, Em?" Spencer said, looking up at her girlfriend with heavy, tired eyes.

"Yeah?" Emily answered softly.

"Promise you'll be right here in this bed with me when I wake up in the morning."

"You better believe it. I'm exactly where I wanna be."

Spencer smiled, she lifted her weary head and reached up to give Emily just one last goodnight kiss. It was only a matter of minutes until Spencer drifted off to sleep in Emily's strong, protective arms. Tonight, Spencer felt safe, she felt comfortable and above all she felt loved.


	50. Chapter 50

It was early the next morning when Spencer was awakened by the sound of rain hitting the roof and a low rumble of thunder off in the distance. Spencer smiled to herself at the sound of Emily softly  
snoring into her ear as they spooned together. One of Emily's arms was underneath Spencer's head, while the other was draped over her girlfriend, her palm resting flat on the mattress, adjacent to the pillow she and Spencer were sharing. Spencer placed her hand on top of Emily's larger one and laced their fingers together. Emily subconsciously lifted the intertwined fingers of their hands and pulled Spencer tighter against her chest. Emily's arms completely encircled Spencer's upper body in a very protective manner. Spencer absolutely loved the comfortable feeling of warmth she was currently  
receiving from Emily's hard, naked body pressed tightly to her back. She wished that she and Emily could stay like this forever.

"Spence?" Emily opened her eyes and groggily mumbled into Spencer's neck, checking to see if her girlfriend was awake.

Spencer then rolled over to face Emily.

"Morning." Spencer said, a content smile gracing her lips.

"Morning." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great." Spencer sighed happily. "I love spooning with you, you're a total teddy bear."

Emily smiled.

"You're okay with everything that happened between us last night, right?" Emily asked as she reached over and brushed a few strands of hair from Spencer's forehead.

"Of course I am. I wouldn't take any of it back for a second."

"I'm glad to hear it...so...do you feel any different?"

"A little, but it's a good different...I feel really close to you." Spencer wrapped her arms around the architect.

"I feel really close to you too." Emily said as she kissed the tip of Spencer's nose.

"Thank you for being really sweet and so gentle last night." Spencer rubbed her hand up and down the small of Emily's back. "I appreciate it."

"I just wanted to give you the best first time I possibly could."

Emily sat up a little, while still remaining underneath the blanket and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. Spencer moved up on the bed and wrapped her arms around Emily as she laid her head on the architect's chest. Emily placed her arm around Spencer and rested her chin on top of Spencer's head.

"I can't believe you and I are like totally official now..." Spencer laced her fingers with Emily's free hand underneath the blanket. "I can't believe I waited two months…"

"It was worth the wait."

"I don't think I can really tell you enough how much I appreciate you being so patient with me. I know it was probably annoying having to  
wait for me."

"It's fine, Spence." Emily said, running her fingers though Spencer's hair. "Stuff like that doesn't matter when you're in love. I've waited my whole life to meet a girl like you, now that we're together, I was never willing to risk screwing things up by pressuring you into having sex before you were ready. I know losing your virginity was a big step and it feels so amazing to know that I'm the one you wanted to give yourself to."

Emily leaned down and placed a kiss on top of Spencer's head.

"Em...?"

"Hm?"

"Was I like, you know, okay...last night? Be honest...I mean, I promise I'll get better...I just..." Spencer rambled.

"Are you kidding? You were amazing. Like the best I've ever had."

"You're just saying that." Spencer smiled as she buried her face into the crook of Emily's neck.

"No, I wouldn't lie to you. You were great."

"Really?" Spencer looked up at her girlfriend. "So...you did have…" Spencer hesitated. "Didn't you?"

"Definitely..." Emily smiled.

"And you're sure that I was okay?"

"Absolutely. It's a little different with everyone, but it was incredible with you...last night was perfect."

"It was, wasn't it?"

"Every single minute."

Spencer gently placed a few kisses over Emily's neck and chest. Spencer mover to straddle one of Emily's thighs as she moved up to place a kiss on the architect's lips. As they kissed, Emily felt herself becoming aroused at the feeling of Spencer's wetness coating her thigh. Emily's right hand found Spencer's hair, her fingers wandered to the nape of Spencer's neck and back up again. Spencer pulled away  
from Emily's lips and began kissing the architect's neck once again. Emily groaned softly when she felt Spencer begin sucking on her pulse point.

"So…you wanna…?" Spencer placed her hand on Emily's bare chest and stared into her eyes.

"I...uh...uh...yeah..." Emily stumbled over her words. "I...I mean...if you do..."

"So articulate." Spencer placed her index finger on Emily's chin and laughed sarcastically.

"I can't help it. A beautiful girl will tongue tie you every time..."

Spencer smiled brightly at Emily's compliment.

"I love you." Spencer said, placing her hand on Emily's cheek.

"I love you too."

Emily then wrapped her arms around Spencer's body as their lips met again. Emily's back slipped down the headboard, until she was lying flat on the bed again with Spencer on top of her. After a few minutes, while still remaining underneath the blanket, Emily rolled she and Spencer over so that Emily was now able to be on top. Emily moved the blanket off of she and Spencer. Spencer pulled Emily down for another passionate kiss and Emily quickly slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth, wanting to taste more of her girlfriend.

Both Emily and Spencer pushed aside thoughts that in just a few short hours, they'd need to be on their way to the airport. Rain fell hard onto the roof and the sound of low, scattered rumbles of thunder created a very calming and relaxing sound as Emily and Spencer kissed.

Without breaking the kiss, Emily positioned her body in between Spencer's legs. As their tongues battled for dominance, Spencer wrapped her legs tightly around Emily's waist. Spencer crossed her feet at the ankles, bringing Emily's center impossibly close to her own. Emily broke the kiss only to move lower to begin kissing Spencer's neck and chest. Spencer gripped Emily's shoulders, she left fresh fingernail marks in the taut skin over Emily's tattoo.

"Em..." Spencer moaned as Emily sucked on her pulse point, leaving a small, yet noticeable mark.

Emily placed her hands flat on the mattress on either side of Spencer's shoulders as she began thrusting her hips forward. Emily was very turned on by the feeling of Spencer's legs clamped tightly around her body, Emily reached back and slowly ran her hand from Spencer's toned calf muscle all the way up her girlfriend's thigh. Before very long, Spencer had begun steadily moving her hips upward to meet Emily's. Emily groaned at the sensation of Spencer's center grinding against her own, Emily felt as though if she was given enough time she'd more than likely be able to climax solely from this type of stimulation alone. Emily closed her eyes as she kissed Spencer's lips again, Emily was highly aroused by the sensation of Spencer's breasts and stiff nipples rubbing against her own. The architect could feel herself growing wetter by the moment. Emily guessed that by now, she and Spencer almost certainly had to be dripping onto the sheets below, creating physical evidence to their strong and constantly growing desire. No girl Emily ever slept with had been this wet for her before and Emily had never been wetter for a girl than she was for Spencer at this very moment.

"Emily...please..." Spencer breathed out, during the few seconds that the kiss was broken. "I want you inside..."

Emily smiled to herself. Last night Spencer had been tentative and shy, but this morning she was seemingly more open and comfortable. Spencer released the grip that her legs held around her girlfriend's waist. Emily placed a few kisses over Spencer's chest before taking one of the brunette's nipples into her mouth. Emily knew that Spencer was enjoying what she was doing with her mouth, but she also knew that Spencer needed more. Emily slowly trailed her hand down Spencer's body and slipped a finger into her girlfriend's tightness. Emily pumped her finger in and out, slowly at first, but steadily increasing her pace, just as she had the night before.

"Em...more...please."

Spencer moaned in pleasure as she felt Emily slip a second finger inside of her and increase her pace.

"You want more?" Emily asked, sweetly before placing a kiss on Spencer's lips.

Emily watched Spencer nod her head in affirmation. Emily then slowly and very gently added a third finger. Emily experienced a slight resistance at first, but Spencer's body very quickly gave way, thanks to the brunette's heightened state of arousal and ample amount of lubrication.

"You okay?" Emily asked, unsure of whether or not Spencer was experiencing any discomfort.

"I'm fine. I can handle it. Just go slow at first." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily.

Spencer then sunk down into the mattress and moaned as she felt Emily's fingers slowly begin sliding in and out, gaining a little more speed with each thrust.

Spencer rarely ever penetrated herself when she masturbated, she never really found much pleasure in it, so she wasn't quite sure why exactly it was that the feeling of Emily's fingers filling her was so much more pleasurable than her own, but Spencer didn't care, all that mattered was that Emily Fields was inside of her, making love to her and it felt incredible.

Spencer wasn't the only one enjoying this feeling though. Emily loved the way that Spencer's muscles clenched around her fingers so tightly, drawing them inward. Spencer's hands slid up the small of Emily's back which was already damp, as a small amount of sweat had begun pooling there. After a few minutes, Emily unexpectedly pulled out. She kissed Spencer on the lips and then slowly began kissing her way down Spencer's body. Emily flicked her tongue over Spencer's nipples and abdomen as she moved further downward, stopping just short of her girlfriend's center. Emily knew just how badly Spencer needed her so she lowered her head and began a very slow up and down rhythm with her tongue.

"God, Em..." Spencer writhed on the bed as Emily's tongue connected with her most sensitive spot.

Spencer spread her legs further apart, giving Emily better access. Emily brought her hand up and used her index and middle fingers to rub small, fast circles on Spencer's clit, while at the same time flicking her tongue over the area. Spencer's hands found Emily's hair as Emily steadily began increasing the pressure she was using with her tongue and fingers. After a few minutes, Emily felt Spencer's hands leave her hair and grip the bed sheets. Emily used her free hand to seek out Spencer's fist. Emily loosened Spencer's grip on the sheets and laced their fingers together. Spencer could feel a strong tightening sensation building in the pit of her stomach as Emily brought her closer and closer to the edge. Spencer was on the brink of orgasm when Emily abruptly stopped moving her tongue and fingers. Before Spencer even had the chance to complain, Emily quickly resumed what she had been doing, only this time a at quicker pace. Spencer held on tightly to Emily's hand, each stroke of her girlfriend's tongue driving her crazy. Just when Spencer thought she'd never come, Emily brought her to an even stronger climax than she had experienced last night.

"Oh...Emily..." Spencer moaned as she squeezed Emily's hand.

Spencer panted loudly as the strong sensation of pleasure swept over her entire body. Her back arched and her hips bucked a few times as her eyes fluttered closed. After a few moments, Emily slowly stopped moving her tongue, she let go of Spencer's hand and crawled back up to the top of the bed, where she collapsed on her back next to Spencer, their shoulders touching.

"How was that?" Emily glanced over at Spencer, who was slowly beginning to catch her breath.

"That was amazing." Spencer quickly rolled over on top of Emily and kissed her.

As soon as Emily opened her mouth, Spencer quickly slipped her tongue inside. Emily moaned into the kiss and laced her fingers into Spencer's hair. Spencer pulled away from Emily's lips and placed a kiss just below Emily's left ear lobe. Spencer gently sucked on Emily's pulse point, she ran her tongue over the small mark that she had left before continuing downward. Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's throat, she could feel her girlfriend swallow hard underneath her kiss. Spencer laid down, fully on top of Emily's body so that she could free up her hands to fondle Emily's breasts and hardened nipples. Spencer gently massaged Emily's breasts as she trailed a few kisses over her girlfriend's chest and shoulder. Emily sighed in pleasure as her hands slid up Spencer's back. Spencer felt a slight chill run down her spine at Emily's touch. Emily's hands were slightly rough on Spencer's skin due to the physical nature of her job, but Spencer didn't mind one bit; in fact, it actually turned her on a lot.

Spencer kissed her way down Emily's abdomen, she took her time, utilizing a nice slow, leisurely pace. Emily, on the other hand, was having trouble keeping her arousal under control.

"Spence, please…I really need…" The rest of Emily's sentence trailed off as Spencer ran her fingers over Emily's abdomen, just below her navel and just above her throbbing core.

Spencer smiled to herself. She positioned her body between Emily's legs and dipped her head downward. Spencer spread Emily's legs further apart and slowly slid her tongue into her girlfriend's wetness. Spencer wrapped her hands around Emily's thighs and began licking up and down. Emily nearly finished the moment that Spencer's tongue connected with her hardened clit.

"Spence…" Emily moaned loudly.

Emily gripped the pillow beneath her head as Spencer's tongue began to move much more quickly.

"Fuck…" Emily groaned as she felt Spencer take her swollen bundle of nerves into her mouth.

Spencer alternated between sucking and licking, driving Emily closer and closer to orgasm with each passing moment.

"Just like that…don't stop…" Emily choked out as she began thrusting her hips upward to meet Spencer's mouth and tongue.

Emily felt the heat rising quickly in her body.

"Shit, Spence...I'm…" Emily's muscles tensed, her body becoming completely overwhelmed with pleasure as she climaxed.

Emily closed her eyes, her head sunk down into the pillow as the last few lingering tremors of orgasm passed through her body. Spencer slowly slipped her tongue out of Emily's center and gingerly kissed her way back up the architect's body. Spencer draped the blanket over she and Emily before laying back down on the bed. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and laid her head on her girlfriend's sweat dampened chest.

"Was that okay?" Spencer asked, gently rubbing Emily's stomach with her palm.

"Spencer, that was…wow."

Spencer smiled.

"Are you sure that's only the second time you've ever done that?" Emily exhaled slowly.

"Are you questioning my innocence?" Spencer joked.

"No, I just…I mean…you were amazing…I've never…" Emily didn't quite know what to say as she lifted her arm and placed it around Spencer's shoulder.

"Well…to be perfectly honest…I did a lot of research."

"Research…are you like into porn or something?" Emily asked.

"No…not at all…I read a lot. I looked up a bunch of techniques and I flipped through some of Melissa's Cosmos and stuff."

"Como gives lesbian sex tips?" Emily glanced over at Spencer. "Apparently, I've been subscribing to all the wrong magazines…"

"Don't get too excited there, tiger…you should probably just stick to the Playboys you keep under the mattress." Spencer laughed, Emily blushed. "Most of the Cosmo articles were on how to give good blow jobs, but some of the stuff still applied. There was a list of some pretty useful tongue tricks."

"Well…I'm pretty sure you nailed all of them. Damn."

"I'm glad you liked it, because I went through a lot for you. One of Melissa's Cosmos had a bunch of stars marked next to some of the BJ tips. I think I puked in my mouth a little…"

Emily laughed.

"I'm very flattered that you went through all of the trouble and apparently some sibling awkwardness…" Emily placed a kiss on Spencer's forehead.

"I just wanted to be good for you." Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes.

"You definitely were. I love you, Spence."

"I love you too."

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"So, what time is it anyway?" Spencer asked when the kiss was broken.

"Just about nine…" Emily glanced over at the alarm clock next to the bed. "You want me to make you some breakfast?"

"Sure. That sounds great…but first, would you mind if I got up to use the bathroom?"

"Not at all." Emily reached over the side of the bed, picked up the shirt she had been wearing the night before and handed it to Spencer.

"Thanks." Spencer slipped the shirt on and buttoned it before getting out of bed.

As Spencer disappeared out of the room, Emily placed her hands behind her head and replayed the previous night and morning over and over in her mind. Waking up next to Spencer after a night of passion gave Emily one of the best feelings she had experienced in a long time.

A few minutes later, Spencer walked back into the room to find Emily still lying in bed. Spencer stood in the doorway, staring at her girlfriend. Emily locked eyes with Spencer, the shirt she was wearing hung loosely from the brunette's body. Emily's eyes slowly wandered up and down Spencer's long, toned bare legs.

"You planning on getting out of bed?" Spencer asked.

"Uh, yeah…" Emily shook her head, refocusing her attention. "Can you grab me some clothes?"

"Sure." Spencer stepped over to Emily's dresser and pulled out a black sports bra as well as a pair of boxer shorts from the top drawer.

Spencer unfolded the shorts and looked at them.

"Super Mario boxers." Spencer laughed as she tossed the underwear in Emily's direction. "You're cute."

Emily smiled as she picked up the bra and slipped it on. She then reached underneath the blanket and pulled on the boxers.

"Don't I get a shirt?" Emily asked as she threw the blanket aside and got out of bed.

"Honey, you're lucky I'm letting you wear any clothes at all." Spencer chuckled.

"You know, speaking of clothes, my shirt looks amazing on you…" Emily couldn't help but enjoy the way the two halves of the shirt met low on Spencer's chest, drawing attention to the brunette's breasts.

Spencer smiled at Emily as Emily placed her hands on her girlfriend's waist and kissed her. When the kiss was broken, Spencer's gaze slowly wandered down the architect's body. Emily's shorts sat very low on her waist. Spencer stared at the two muscled grooves on either side of Emily's abdomen, which created a subtle "V" shape, just to the inside of Emily's hips. Spencer loved this aspect of Emily's body, she knew there was a technical term for this feature that she had learned in anatomy class at some point, but Spencer was drawing a complete blank at the moment. Emily placed her index finger underneath Spencer's chin and lifted her head.

"So…how does French toast sound?" Emily asked before pressing her lips to Spencer's again.

* * *

Later that morning.

After breakfast, Emily looked at the pile of dishes in the sink from the previous night and that morning.

"I guess the dishes won't do themselves." Emily said as she stood up.

"Just leave them. I'll come over and do them when I get back from the airport."

"You don't have to do that. It'll only take me a few minutes."

"Em, you're leaving in a couple of hours, let's not waste the time we have left to spend together washing dishes. I'll do them."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Spencer nodded.

"Thanks, Spence." Emily bent down and kissed Spencer on top of the head. "I should probably go take a shower, then."

Spencer watched as Emily turned and headed into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Spencer heard Emily call her name from the bathroom. Spencer pushed the door open and walked into the bathroom. Emily pulled the shower curtain aside a little and looked at Spencer.

"Can you please get me a towel out of the cabinet? I forgot to grab one."

"Sure." Spencer opened the top cabinet and pulled out a fresh white towel.

"What would you do without me?" Spencer laughed.

"I'd be lost. Obviously."

Spencer smiled and tossed the towel up over the shower rod.

"Thanks. Love you." Emily smiled.

"You're welcome. Do you mind if I borrow something to wear?"

"Not at all. Take whatever you want."

"Thanks. Do you need me to pack up anything else for you?"

"No, it's okay. I just have to grab my laptop and phone charger. I think that's about it."

When Emily got out of the shower, she walked into the bedroom in a towel.

"You're going home before your business meeting, right?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. My mom's picking me up at the airport. I'll stop home, drop my stuff off and go from there. The place we're meeting at is only like ten minutes from my parents' house."

"Okay, good because we already packed the suit I picked out for you."

"I should have plenty of time to change."

Emily walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans. She then took a bra and a pair of underwear from the dresser before pulling out the navy blue Rosewood High Sharks t shirt that Spencer had given her. Emily tossed the clothes onto the bed.

"You're wearing the sharks shirt?"

"Sure, why not? A super hot girl gave it to me. It's my pleasure to wear it."

"You're smooth, Em. A real sweet talker." Spencer laughed.

After Emily got dressed, she noticed Spencer staring at the luggage piled by the bedroom door. Spencer had a look of obvious sadness in her eyes.

"Spence?" Emily took Spencer by the hand and they both sat down on the bed. "Are you honestly all right with me leaving? I can call my boss and tell him I changed my mind about the job…"

"Don't do that. I'll be okay. I'm just gonna miss you so much."

"I'm gonna miss you too. Believe me." Emily placed her hand on Spencer's cheek. "But we're gonna talk all the time and before you know it, it'll be New Years and you can come see me."

"I can't wait."

"We'll get through this." Emily gently stroked Spencer's cheek with her thumb. "You'll be fine. You have a really strong heart, I mean you fell in love with me, didn't you? I know that's not easy."

Emily leaned forward and pressed her lips to Spencer's. When the kiss was broken, Emily stood up and moved to the top of the bed. She sat down leaning her back against the headboard.

"Come here." Emily lifted her arm, waiting for Spencer to lie down next to her.

Spencer moved to the top of the bed as well. Once Spencer laid down, Emily wrapped her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder. Spencer laid her head on Emily's chest and draped her arm over the architect's abdomen.

"We'll be fine. The distance doesn't matter." Emily gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. "It's only for a little while."

* * *

"Hey, Spence?" Emily gently shook Spencer's shoulder to wake her up. "We should probably get going to the airport. We've still got an hour drive to Philly."

"Okay." Spencer nodded, rubbing her eyes.

"I'll go throw my stuff in the car…can I have your keys?"

"They're in the kitchen."

Emily and Spencer both got up and walked into the kitchen. Emily slipped her leather jacket on and picked up Spencer's keys.

"I'll help." Spencer said, picking up two of Emily's smaller bags. "I can get these if you can grab your big suitcase and laptop bag."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You just stay in here, it's still raining a little bit, I don't want you to get wet."

Emily picked up two of the bags and headed out the front door. She loaded the bags into the car and and returned for the remainder of the luggage.

"Okay. I think I've got everything." Emily said when she walked back inside.

Emily brushed the water droplets off of her jacket and took it off. She then slipped the jacket on over Spencer's shoulders.

"You drive?' Spencer asked.

"Okay. Sure."

On the way out the door. Emily picked up an umbrella. She opened it and held it over Spencer's head on the way to the car. When they reached Spencer's Mercedes, Emily opened the front passenger door and continued holding the umbrella over Spencer's head until she was inside the car. Emily then walked around to the driver's side, closed the umbrella, tossed it on the floor in the back seat and got into the car.

* * *

When they arrived at the airport, Emily checked her bags and she and Spencer headed over to the terminal's waiting area. They both sat down and Emily set her laptop case on the floor at her feet. Spencer reached over and placed her hand on top of Emily's. Spencer laced their fingers together.

"You promise you'll let me know as soon as your plane lands?" Spencer asked.

"Of course I will."

"How long is your flight supposed to be?"

"It should take about three hours and twenty minutes."

"I still can't believe you'll be gone four months…but, at least by the time you get home, it'll be spring. You get to skip the crappy Pennsylvania winter weather."

"Yeah. Texas winters are a lot nicer than Pennsylvania's. I do like having the snow for Christmas though."

"Me too…so, how excited is your mom to have you coming home?"

"She's pretty happy. She loves to baby me."

"I don't blame her." Spencer smiled.

"I can't wait for you to come visit. I talked to my mom and she's really excited to have you come down. I can't wait for you meet my dad too. He's gonna love you."

"I bet he's a great guy, especially if you're anything at all like him."

"I do take after my dad a lot." Emily nodded.

It was about a half hour later when Emily and Spencer heard the second call boarding announcement for Emily's flight.

"That's you. You're boarding group B." Spencer said as she stood up.

Emily stood up as well. They spent the next few minutes just holding hands and staring into each other's eyes.

"Make sure you work hard so you can get this job done fast, okay?" Spencer said. "I want you home ASAP."

"You got it. I'll do my best."

"Oh, here…your jacket…" Spencer slipped the jacket off of her shoulders and handed it to Emily.

"Why don't you hang on to it for now." Emily said.

"But, it's your favorite…"

"I'm sure you'd get a lot more use out of it here than I would in Texas."

Spencer just nodded and smiled weakly at her girlfriend. Emily placed her hands on Spencer's waist as Spencer draped her arms over the architect's shoulders.

"I'll miss you." Spencer said, a few tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"No, don't cry." Emily said as she brought a hand up to wipe away a tear that had escaped from Spencer's eye. "You'll make me cry…"

"Last call for all passengers on flight seven twenty eight to Killeen Texas." A voice boomed loudly over the intercom. "Flight seven twenty eight to Killeen Texas, last call for passengers." The voice repeated.

"You should go…you're gonna miss your plane…" Spencer swallowed the lump in her throat.

Emily nodded. As she opened her mouth to speak, she was silenced by Spencer's index finger over her lips.

"Don't you dare say goodbye to me." Spencer said. "Goodbye is too permanent, this is only temporary."

Emily sighed softly as a tear slipped down her own cheek. She quickly reached up and wiped it away, silently cursing for allowing herself to cry in public.

"Spencer, you know if you need me, I'm only a text or phone call away…and if you need me here, just let me know and I'll be on the first plane out of Texas and on my way to you…"

Spencer stood up on her toes to gain a little extra height as she reached up to kiss Emily. They held the kiss for a few long moments and when it was finally broken, Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tight. Spencer was comforted by the feeling of Emily's open palm moving slowly up and down her back.

"I love you, I'll see you soon, okay?" Emily said.

"I love you too. Tell your parents I said hello, take care of yourself and don't forget to call me."

"I won't forget, I promise." Emily leaned down and gave Spencer one more kiss on the lips, before picking up her laptop bag and heading toward the terminal.

Emily handed her ticket to the clerk and turned around to give Spencer one last smile before disappearing through the doorway on her way to the plane. Spencer walked over to the window and stared out at the gloomy, rainy sky. After a short time of waiting, Spencer noticed Emily's plane pulling out of the spot it was parked in. She watched the aircraft move down the runway, gaining speed as it went. The plane slowly rose from the ground and began rapidly acceding toward the sky. After a few minutes, Spencer had lost sight of the plane altogether and the fact finally hit her…Emily was gone.


	51. Chapter 51

After a long, lonely drive back to Rosewood, Spencer found herself back in the parking lot of Emily's apartment complex. Spencer parked her Mercedes next to Emily's Prius, she walked to the door and pulled the key Emily had given her out of her pocket. Spencer unlocked the door and stepped inside, she hung Emily's jacket up and spent the next few moments just staring at the breakfast dishes that were still on the kitchen table amongst the burned down candles and rose petals that Emily had set out on the table the evening before. Spencer sighed heavily and began gathering up the dishes, which she then carried to the sink.

When Spencer finished washing the dishes, she slowly trudged into Emily's bedroom. Spencer stared at the bed, the sheets and blanket were messily strewn about, as the bed hadn't been made up since Spencer and Emily had made love in it earlier that morning. Spencer laid down on Emily's usual side of the bed and got underneath the soft, warm comforter. Spencer pulled her phone from her pocket and stared at the screen. It was after four p.m. Emily's plane would still be in the air for almost another hour. Spencer set her phone down on the nightstand, she curled up in the fetal position and buried her face into the pillow. Spencer deeply inhaled, catching the faint scent of Emily's coconut shampoo as well as the familiar, slightly spicy scent of Emily's musky perfume which still lingered behind on the bed sheets and blanket. Spencer sighed heavily and pulled the comforter up to her neck. She closed her eyes as she thought about how wonderful the previous night had been. It was perfect. Spencer thought about how just a mere few hours ago, she and Emily had been lying in this bed together, waking up after having made love for the first time. Spencer thought about how lucky she was to have gotten the perfect first time she had always dreamed of. In fact, Spencer couldn't stop thinking about it; thoughts of Emily flooded her mind. The way Emily had been so gentle and loving with her, the weight of Emily's body on top of her own, the tiny droplets of sweat running down Emily's chest and abdomen. Spencer already missed all of it. She still couldn't believe that Emily was going to be away for the next four months and it would be nearly a whole month before Spencer could even fly down to Texas for a visit. Feeling very overwhelmed, Spencer closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep in hopes of clearing her mind.

* * *

Now over halfway through her flight, Emily sat rigidly in her seat, she had her earbuds in, attempting to drown out the sounds of the crying baby in the row behind her. Emily leaned back in her seat and opened the complimentary bag of peanuts she had been given earlier in the flight. She changed the song on her phone and stuffed a few peanuts into her mouth while staring out the window, watching as the clouds passed by. Emily noticed a few flashes of lightning illuminate a large, thick gray cloud off in the distance. Emily closed her eyes, wishing that Spencer was sitting next to her. It had only been a couple of hours and already she missed not being with Spencer. Emily had never felt this kind of separation anxiety from a girlfriend before, not even during times when she and Stephanie were apart.

It was about an hour later when Emily opened her eyes again. She heard the pilot announce over the intercom that the plane would be landing in about fifteen minutes. Emily silenced the music on her phone and pulled her earbuds out of her ears. She stared out the window again. The sky over Killeen, Texas was bright blue, with only a few slow moving, white fluffy clouds. It was a drastic change in weather from that of Rosewood. Emily couldn't wait to land so that she could call Spencer. Emily slipped her phone into her pocket and buckled her seatbelt as she braced for landing. It wasn't very long before the plane descended and finally touched down on the runway. The plane slowed as it pulled into the open spot to the right of the runway. Once the plane had come to a stop, the passengers began to gather their belongings from the overhead compartments. Emily pulled her laptop case from underneath the seat and set it on her lap as she waited for the other passengers to clear out. As the row of people ahead of her began to exit the plane, Emily stood up along with the other people in her own row. She anxiously waited for the people ahead of her to file out. Once Emily had stepped off of the plane, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Spencer's number. Emily waited one, two, three and four rings, finally on the fifth Spencer picked up.

"Hey, Em." Spencer answered, happily.

"Hi, Spence. I just got off the plane. I wanted to let you know."

"Thank you. I've been waiting for you to call. How was your flight?"

"It was all right. Pretty smooth."

"That's good."

"So...what are you up to?"

"Not much. I came back to your apartment, did some cleaning up."

"Thanks for cleaning up for me. And thanks for driving me to the airport."

"You're welcome."

"Did you make it home okay in the rain? I was worried about you, there was a lot of water on the road."

"I made it home fine. The drive wasn't too bad, just lonely. I miss you already." Spencer's tone was now very sad.

"I miss you too, Spence. I wish you could be here."

"Me too. I can't believe you're really gone. One time zone and a whole sixteen hundred miles away from me..."

Emily could hear a few soft sniffles coming from Spencer's end of the phone.

"Don't cry. We'll be fine. Do you wanna Skype later? I'd kill to see that pretty face of yours."

"I'd love to Skype. Call me after your meeting. I wanna know how everything goes."

"You got it."

Emily glanced across the terminal and saw her mother through the crowd of people.

"Hey, Spence, I think I see my mom. Can I call you back?"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later tonight."

"I can't wait. I'll call you as soon as I can. I love you."

"I love you too. Good luck with your meeting."

"Thanks. Bye, Spence."

"Bye, Em."

Emily slipped her cell phone back into her pocket and continued walking across the terminal to meet her mother.

"Hi, mom." Emily said as she leaned down to hug her mother. "How are you?"

"I'm a lot better now that my baby's home safely. It's so good to see you. I missed you so much." Pam squeezed Emily tight before pulling back and kissing her on the forehead.

"I missed you too." Emily smiled.

Pam then took a step back and carefully looked over her daughter.

"Look at you." Pam took Emily's hands in her own and looked up into her daughter's dark eyes. "Have you gotten taller?"

"Nope. I'm pretty sure you ask me that just about every time we see each other." Emily laughed. "I'm still six foot one. Same height I've been since the eleventh grade."

"Maybe I'm just getting shorter." Pam laughed.

"That must be it."

"Let's get your bags and we can head home. Are you hungry? I can make you some lunch. Your meeting isn't for a few hours yet."

"Sure. That sounds great."

"Are you jet-lagged at all, honey? You can take a nap too. I just put fresh sheets on your bed."

"Thanks, but it's only an hour time difference, mom." Emily laughed. "I'm fine."

Pam and Emily then walked over to the baggage carousel and waited. Emily stepped forward and pulled her biggest suitcase out from underneath two others. Once she had gathered all of her luggage, Pam and Emily headed for the car.

"So...how are things going with you and Spencer?" Pam asked.

"How did I know that question was coming?" Emily rolled her eyes and laughed. "Everything's going well...really, really well, actually. I'm totally crazy about her."

"Sounds like things are getting pretty serious between you two." Pam smiled brightly.

"Relax, mom. We've been dating for two months, it's not like we're getting married or anything." Emily glanced over at her mother as she shifted one of her bags up on her shoulder.

"Well, maybe not quite yet..." Pam nudged her daughter.

"Not for a while. Spencer's only eighteen, remember? Besides, I'm not looking for a wife right now, I'm just happy to have a nice girl who honestly cares about me. I haven't had a girlfriend since Stephanie dumped me and I don't wanna rush anything. I'm really happy with the way things are between Spencer and I."

"That's so good to hear." Pam reached over and place her hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Just promise me that when Spencer comes to visit, you won't like bring up any marriage talk or anything. I don't wanna scare her off."

"Don't worry, honey, I promise I won't scare her away." Pam chuckled. "I'm just so happy that you're happy. I'm so glad you've finally found a nice girl. And I don't mind at all that you want to take things slowly. I think it's a good idea. You moved so fast with Stephanie...does Spencer know that you were engaged and about the baby and everything?"

"Yeah. I told her everything about Stephanie and Bryce. It didn't seem to really bother her. I mean she was surprised, but she handled it really well."

"That's good."

"Where did you park?" Emily asked as she and her mother walked out of the airport and into the parking lot.

"Row L. All the way near the end. One of the last spaces."

"Why don't you give me your keys and I'll bring the car up? You can just wait here."

"Are you sure?" Pam asked as she fished her keys out of her pocket.

"Yeah. No sense in us lugging all of this stuff the whole way through the parking lot. I'll be right back."

Emily took the keys from her mother and headed through the parking lot. Once Emily returned, she got out of the car and loaded her bags into the trunk. Emily then got into the passenger seat as Pam got into the driver's seat and they left the airport.

"Will dad be home?" Emily asked.

"Later this evening. He's not working tomorrow either. Your dad's so excited to see you."

"I'm really excited to see him too. I feel really bad that I haven't been down here to visit you guys in a while."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. You're busy and Texas isn't exactly close to Pennsylvania. I know it's tough to visit."

* * *

Before leaving Emily's apartment, Spencer took the roses that Emily had given her from the vase in the kitchen. They were still wrapped in tissue paper and a plastic sleeve. Spencer dried the stems of the flowers and walked out of the kitchen. She laid the roses down, just long enough to slip Emily's jacket on. Spencer then headed out of the apartment, locking the door behind her.

When she returned home for the evening, Spencer walked into her house, where she found her mother sitting at the kitchen island, working on her laptop.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi, sweetheart. How was the drive to and from the airport? Those storms were pretty nasty this morning."

"Yeah, but the drive wasn't too bad. It was just raining a little by the time Em and I left this afternoon."

Veronica could see the sadness in Spencer's eyes. Veronica shut her laptop and stood up. She walked over to her daughter.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" Veronica asked, placing a hand on Spencer's back.

"Yeah. I just miss Emily already. I wish she didn't have to be so far away."

"Have you talked to her since she left?"

Spencer nodded.

"She called a little while ago when her plane landed."

Spencer set the bouquet of roses on the coffee table and slumped down on the couch. Veronica sat down, next to her daughter.

"Did Emily give you those?" Veronica motioned to the roses.

"Yeah. She's really sweet." Spencer smiled weakly.

"How was your date last night?"

"It was great. Emily cooked me dinner and we ate by candle light. It was perfect."

Veronica noticed a few tears begin to well up in Spencer's eyes. Spencer tried her hardest to fight them back, but she couldn't.

"This really sucks, mom." Spencer said as a tear fell from her eye. "I knew Emily leaving would be hard, but it didn't really hit me until the drive back from the airport. Alone. I won't be able to just drive ten minutes across town to see her anymore."

"I know it's hard." Veronica leaned over and hugged her daughter. "But you'll be all right."

"So…how was your sleep over with Hanna?" Veronica asked.

"It was fine. We just watched movies, ate some junk food, you know the usual stuff."

"Was Emily invited to this slumber party? It looks like you picked up some of her clothes."

"I uh…" Spencer looked down at her current outfit. The jeans she was wearing were rolled up a little as they were much too long. She had on a black v neck style t shirt that hung loosely from her body as well as Emily's jacket over top. At that moment Spencer cursed herself for not packing an overnight bag with her own clothes.

"You stayed at Emily's last night…" Veronica's voice was calm, there wasn't even the slightest hint of anger. "And you slept with her, didn't you?"

Spencer averted her eyes from Veronica and slightly nodded her head, confirming her mother's suspicions.

"Are you disappointed in me?" Spencer asked, softly, still avoiding her mother's eyes.

"Do you love Emily?" Veronica asked, taking Spencer's chin in her hand and lifting her head until their eyes met.

"Of course I do. I love her so much."

"Then I have no reason to be disappointed." Veronica said, very matter-of-factly. "You've grown up into a very intelligent young lady and I trust your judgment. If you decided that last night was the right time to take the next step with Emily, then I'm sure it was something you were ready for."

"I was." Spencer nodded.

"Is there anything you need or want to talk about?"

"No. I'm okay." Spencer said, sincerely. "I've stayed at Emily's apartment before…how did you know that last night Emily and I…"

"Spencer, there are just some things a mother knows. You'll understand someday."

"You knew the whole time I was never planning on going over to Hanna's last night, didn't you?" Spencer said, only now realizing how naïve she was assuming her mother to have been last night.

"Of course I knew. Sweetheart, I'm an attorney. It's my job to know when people are lying to me." Veronica laughed a little.

"I'm really sorry I lied, I just..."

"It's all right, I understand." Veronica gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. "I know it's hard to believe, but believe it or not, I was eighteen once too…"

"Thank you for being such an awesome mom." Spencer wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her. "I love you."

"I love you too…now, I just need to say, what ever you do, please don't tell your father that you lost your virginity, okay? Things are tense enough as it is around here."

"Are you crazy? Why would I ever tell him of all people?"

"It's just that, I know you and your father haven't been getting along since he found out about your relationship with Emily and you tend to get a little impulsive when you're angry. I don't want this to be something that you throw out just to spite your father."

"I'm not telling him anything. I'd like for Emily to come back from Texas in one piece."

"So would I." Veronica agreed.

"So…mom I wanted to ask you..."

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I was hoping that maybe you'd let me go visit Emily in Texas over Christmas break?"

"What about your student council trip to Washington?"

"I'm still going. We're leaving the twenty sixth and we'll be back late on the twenty eighth. I could leave the next day. I really wanna spend New Year's with Emily. And New Year's Day is on a Friday, so we wouldn't go back to school until Monday. I could spend a few days with Emily and fly back home on Sunday. I really, really wanna see her. She probably won't be able to get any time off to come visit me…please can I go?"

"Well…I don't see why not. You wouldn't miss any school. Emily is staying with her parents, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is."

"All right. If it's okay with them for you to visit, then it's okay with me. Do you have a phone number, maybe I could call her mother to discuss arrangements?"

"I'll ask Emily…thanks, mom." Spencer leaned in and wrapped her arms around her mother. "You're the best."

 


	52. Chapter 52

When Emily and her mother arrived home that afternoon, they unloaded all of Emily's luggage and carried it up the front porch stairs. Emily stepped into the foyer behind her mother.

"Take your shoes off, honey." Pam said. "I just vacuumed."

"Okay."

Emily slipped her sneakers off and walked into the living room. Pam and Emily then took the luggage into Emily's bedroom. The architect set her largest suitcase on the bed and looked around the room. Everything still looked exactly the same as it always had. There were family photos, as well as various ribbons and trophies that Emily had earned throughout her high school and college swimming career. Although Emily hadn't lived with her parents full time since before she left for college, Pam never had the heart to change anything.

"It's so good to have you home." Pam said as she hugged her daughter.

Emily returned the embrace. It did feel nice to be home. She hadn't visited since Christmas time last year and even then, she had only been home for just a few days.

"We should pick you out something to wear to your meeting tonight." Pam said when she pulled away.

"Don't worry, Spencer already took care of that for me."

Emily then unzipped her suitcase and pulled out the black suit and red shirt that Spencer had picked out.

"She thought it'd be nice if I wore Texas Tech colors."

"I think that's a wonderful idea. Why don't you give me that suit, I'll iron it, but right now, how about if I make you a snack?"

"That sounds great. Thanks, mom."

As Emily turned to leave the room with her mother, the architect noticed two photos of she and Spencer in a frame on top of the dresser. They were the photos that had been taken in Love Park during one of her dates with Spencer.

"You printed and framed these?" Emily said, remembering she had emailed the photos at Pam's request of wanting photos of Emily and Spencer.

"Of course. Is something wrong?" Pam asked.

"No, it's just that you don't know Spencer that well yet. I'm just a little surprised that you're so on board with us being a couple. I mean, I'm definitely glad..."

"You two just look so happy together, especially you, sweetheart. I can't even remember the last time I saw you smile like that." Pam said, looking down at the photo in her daughter's hand.

"Well, Spencer is pretty amazing. I can't help but smile when I'm around her."

A moment later Emily and Pam heard the front door creek open.

"That must be your dad. He's so excited to see you."

Emily placed the picture frame back on the dresser and followed her mother out of the room. They walked into the living room where Wayne was now standing in the foyer.

"Hi, dad." Emily said, quickly walking over to her father.

"You look fantastic, kiddo." Wayne said. "I still can't believe my little girl is all grown up."

Wayne then stepped into the living room and wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"It's so good to see you, Emmy." Wayne said as he hugged his daughter tight.

Emily smiled to herself. Her father was the one and only person she'd ever allow to call her "Emmy." She much preferred being called either "Em" or "Emily," but with her father "Emmy" somehow always felt right.

"I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you." Wayne said as he pulled away and placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"It's been almost a year now." Emily stared her father in the eyes. "I'm sorry I haven't been down to visit...I..."

"Don't worry about it." Wayne waved his hand dismissively. "You're an adult now, you have your own life to live."

"So...Rosewood Sharks." Wayne said, looking at the t shirt Emily was wearing. "You decide to give up being a Red Raider and become a Shark instead?" He laughed.

"I'll never stop being a Red Raider." Emily laughed. "Spencer gave me this shirt. She's the captain of Rosewood High's field hockey team."

"Captain? She must be a pretty good player."

"She is. She's amazing."

"Wayne, I was just about to make Emily a snack. Why don't we all go into the kitchen?"

Wayne nodded. He placed one hand on Emily's shoulder and one on Pam's as the three of them made their way into the kitchen.

"So...why don't you tell me about Spencer." Wayne said as he and Emily sat down at the table.

"She's absolutely amazing. She's smart, funny, athletic and she's so beautiful. Spencer's perfect. I'm really lucky, I don't know how I ever managed to find her, but I'm so happy I did."

"You know, your mother showed me the photos you sent. You two certainly do make a very nice-looking couple. I'd be happy to have Spencer down for a visit." Wayne smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"I can't wait until you do. I know you'll love her. I'm just really hoping her parents will let her come down, but I don't know about that..."

"Why wouldn't they let her?" Pam asked. "You're responsible and trustworthy and I'm sure her parents like you a lot."

"Well, I mean her mother likes me a lot more than her father does, that's for sure. I know I told you things were okay after her dad found out about us, but that wasn't exactly the truth. Mister Hastings isn't really my biggest fan right now, in fact, he totally hates me and doesn't want me anywhere near Spencer."

"How could anyone possibly hate you?" Pam said. "He must be crazy."

"I know it bothers him that I'm older than Spencer. And he doesn't trust me after sneaking around with her behind his back. When he found out he wanted to fire me, but luckily Missus Hastings wouldn't let him. Now, everything's a mess. Things are tense between Spencer and her dad and Missus Hastings is stuck in the middle of everything. I feel really bad about it, you know? Missus Hastings has been nothing but kind and understanding with me."

"Emily, honey, why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Pam asked, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I didn't want you to worry about me."

"Don't stress yourself too much." Wayne said. "I'm sure you'll be able to win over her father, it might just take a little extra time."

"I hope so. I hate being the cause of so much tension. I try really hard to be respectful, Spencer's dad is still my elder whether he likes me or not, but it hasn't been easy. I know he thinks I'm not good enough to date Spencer. I mean, his other daughter is engaged to a doctor, how am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Sweetheart, you're a successful architect." Pam said. "You've worked very hard you should be proud. Don't belittle yourself. Any parent would be lucky to have you dating their daughter."

"Your mother's right, Emmy." Wayne nodded. "I know you're in a tough spot now, but just give it time. I'm sure everything will work out, but you need to have confidence in yourself."

"Thanks." Emily smiled weakly. "You know, you're right, I'm not giving up. After Stephanie, I never thought I'd be able to get close to anyone again, but Spencer's completely changed my mind. I love being with her and I think she's happy with me. If I have to keep proving that to her dad, then I will."

"Good." Wayne said. "That's exactly the attitude you'll need, if you want to make an impression on Spencer's father."

* * *

"So…how was your date last night, Spence?" Hanna asked as she flopped down on Spencer's bed in between Alison and Aria.

"It was amazing." Spencer smiled. "When I got to her apartment last night, she had dinner cooked and waiting for me by candle light. And she gave me a bouquet of the most beautiful red roses I've ever seen."

"Aw. Emily's such a romantic." Aria said. "What did she cook for you?"

"We had steak and shrimp. It was the same meal she made the first time she ever cooked for me. Last night, she even bought a bottle of wine. And it wasn't like the cheap stuff either, it was like the kind of ridiculously expensive stuff my dad usually buys when he's trying to impress clients. And she gave me a key to her apartment too."

"She actually gave you a key to her place?" Alison asked.

"Yep." Spencer smiled proudly.

"Damn." Hanna said. "You get to date a total cutie of an architect who also happens to be a crazy romantic. You're one lucky girl."

"Okay, romance is nice and all, but let's cut the mush and get to the good stuff. Did you guys do it or what?" Alison asked.

"Twice." Spencer smiled and nodded. "Last night, then again this morning."

"Spencer Hastings finally loses her V-card. Congratulations. It's about time." Alison said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"So…what's Emily look like naked?" Hanna asked.

Aria just stared at Hanna.

"What? Like you weren't thinking about it." Hanna rolled her eyes. "Come on, Spence…talk to us."

"Okay, well…she looks great naked. She's really, really muscular." Spencer smirked. "Like seriously, I'm so glad she has a physical job."

"Yeah, I bet." Hanna laughed. "Tell us everything, Spence." Hanna moved closer to Spencer on the bed. "How was the sex? What's Emily like in bed? How did everything happen?"

"Emily was amazing. I was helping her finish packing up her stuff, we started making out and ended up on the bed. I started unbuttoning her shirt and I told her I was ready to sleep with her. She asked if I was sure and told me that I didn't need to feel pressured just because she was leaving."

"That's sweet." Aria said.

"Yeah. I told her I didn't feel pressured and that I wanted last night to be our first time. Emily was super sweet and really gentle the whole time. She told me how beautiful I was and that she loved me. It was perfect. Every single minute."

"That's great, Spence. I'm so happy for you." Aria said.

"So…I assume Emily passed the oral exam?" Hanna winked and gently elbowed Spencer.

Spencer blushed a little and stared down at her feet. "With flying colors. But she was great all around. She sweats a lot too, but I don't mind…"

"Sexy." Hanna said. "I love it when they get all hot and sweaty. That's how you know they're dedicated and working hard for you."

"I think we all could have pretty much figured Emily would be a total stud in bed." Alison said. "Just look at her…but what about you, you did reciprocate, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded.

"And…" Hanna urged Spencer to continue.

"And I was really nervous, but Emily seemed to like it, so I guess I did okay…"

"Obviously most people like to be on the receiving end, but how did you like giving and everything?" Hanna asked. "I mean, I've never been with a girl before so I'm just curious what it's like."

"Well, it's really, really personal and intimate. I've never felt closer to anyone in my whole life than I did to Emily last night. You know, I fell asleep wrapped in her arms and I woke up spooning with her this morning. It was like the most amazing feeling ever…I just felt so safe and comfortable, like we were in this big, cozy bubble and nothing could touch us, but now Emily's gone and I can't believe it."

"Spence…" Aria said, sympathetically, placing a hand on her best friend's knee.

"After I got back from the airport, I went over to her apartment and I just laid in her bed for a while, until I fell asleep. It didn't really hit me until I got back that she won't be home for the next four months. I already miss her."

Hanna could tell that Spencer was desperately fighting back tears.

"You guys will be fine, okay?" Hanna said, sincerely as she placed her arm around Spencer. "You love Emily and she loves you. Distance won't change that."

"I know. I just wish we could be together." Spencer sighed. "I don't wanna sound too needy or clingy, but…"

"Don't worry. You're not needy or clingy at all." Hanna said. "You're in love and you miss your girlfriend. There's nothing wrong with that. At least you guys can Skype and stuff. You'll get to see each other."

"Yeah and you can always go visit her at some point, right?" Aria asked. "Maybe like over a weekend or something?"

"I asked my mom if I could go see her over New Years. She said I can."

"See, that's not so bad." Aria said. "New Years is only a little more than a month away. It'll be here before you know it…are you gonna get to talk to her tonight?"

"I should. I asked her to call me after her dinner meeting. I wanna know how everything goes with her boss."

"Just try not to act all mopey and depressed when you talk to her." Alison said. "That'll totally turn Emily off."

"I'll do my best." Spencer said.

* * *

 

Later that evening, Emily decided to take a shower before getting ready for her meeting. While Emily was in the shower, Pam took the suit Spencer had picked out and laid it across the ironing board.

"I can't believe Spencer's father is angry about she and Emily seeing each other." Pam said as she turned the iron on and began to press one pant leg. "I should really find his phone number, call him up and give that jerk a piece of my mind."

"Pam. Don't get involved with this." Wayne said. "That's about the last thing Emily needs."

"I just don't understand where he gets off thinking that my baby isn't good enough."

"I know you're upset about this and so is Emily, believe me I don't want to see our daughter upset any more than you do, but Emily's a grown woman now. You can't keep coddling her forever."

"Are you saying she doesn't need her mother anymore?"

"That's not what I meant. Of course she still needs you. She always will. She just can't have her mother swoop in and fight all of her battles for her. You can be supportive without intervening in the situation. I know you just want to help, but if you get involved, it'll only complicate things even more."

"Maybe you're right." Pam sighed loudly.

"I know I am." Wayne stepped over to his wife and kissed her on the forehead. "Don't worry so much. We raised Emily to be strong and persistent. She's got my hard head. She'll be fine. She always is."

Pam nodded as she shifted the pants on the ironing board to press the other leg. Once she had finished ironing Emily's suit, Pam knocked on Emily's bedroom door.

"Come in." Emily called out.

"Here's your suit, honey." Pam said, walking over to her daughter.

"Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now hurry and get dressed, you don't want to be late."

 


	53. Chapter 53

When Emily arrived at the restaurant that evening she smoothed out the sleeves of her jacket as she stepped up to the hostess' podium.

"Good evening." The hostess said, looking up from her reservation book. "Do you have a reservation?"

"I'm actually meeting someone here. A mister Anthony Williams. I know I'm a little early, but is he here yet?"

"He actually just arrived about five minutes ago. Follow me, I'll show you to your table."

"Thank you."

As they walked through the restaurant Emily took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Here you are." The hostess said. "Enjoy your dinner."

The hostess then walked away, leaving Emily alone with the middle-aged, dark-haired man at the table.

"Emily Fields?" The man asked, standing up.

"Yes, sir." Emily replied, extending her hand to the man.

"It's great to meet you." Mr. Williams said. "It's nice to be able to put a face to a name."

"Likewise." Emily smiled and looked the man in the eyes as they shook hands.

"Please have a seat." Mr. Williams said, motioning to the chair across from the one he had been sitting in. "How was your flight?"

"It was good. Thank you." Emily sat down.

"Great. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the restaurant."

"Oh, none at all. My parents live about fifteen minutes from here. I'm familiar with the area."

"Are you originally from Texas?"

"No, but I've always considered Texas to be my home. I lived here the longest. With my dad being in the military, we moved around a lot."

"I understand completely. My father was also a military man. We never stayed in one place for longer than a few months. Spent a lot of time overseas too. It's certainly not something you ever get used to."

"No, it isn't. It's pretty tough."

"So, how does it feel to be back in Texas?" Mr. Williams asked as he raised his water glass to his lips.

"It feels really good. I got to spend some time with my parents before I came here, so that was definitely nice. I haven't seen them in while."

"That's good."

A few minutes later, a waiter came by the table to take Emily and her new boss's orders.

"So, Emily, according to your résumé, you attended Texas Tech and graduated early at that?"

"I did." Emily nodded. "I was pretty focused throughout my college career, once I figured out that I wanted to become an architect I couldn't wait to finish school and really jump into work."

"I'm impressed. A lot of people your age are still muddling through college classes unsure about what they even want to do when they graduate. But you've obviously got real determination. Completing a five year degree in four years is certainly no simple task. I admire your hard work."

"Thank you, sir."

"How was the architecture program at Texas Tech? I've heard that they've got a pretty good one."

"They do. It was really a wonderful program. All of the instructors were so helpful and encouraging the whole time I was there. They were even really helpful in getting me an apprenticeship with the architect I worked with. It was great to be able to do some paid professional work, while finishing school. It helped me out a lot."

"I'm sure. I see that you apprenticed with architect Bernie Sams. He's one of the best in the business, I'm sure you probably learned a lot from him."

"I did. I was so lucky to get to apprentice with him before he retired. He gave me the confidence to start my own firm when I graduated. Well, I mean I don't know if you can really call it a firm, it's pretty much just me working on designs out of my living room and a few guys working with me on construction."

"That's fine though. Everyone has to start somewhere and if you keep up the good work, you'll be able to grow your business in no time at all. "

Mister Williams then reached down under the table into a brief case and pulled out a few papers stapled together.

"Why don't we take a few minutes to go over your contract?" Mr. Williams handed Emily the papers. "Here's a copy of the contract. It basically just goes over what the Army wants for the base and your salary information is on the last page there. I think we already discussed most of the contract over the phone, but you should hang on to a copy, just for your own record."

Emily skimmed through the contract as she and Mr. Williams discussed some of the specifics. After about twenty minutes the waiter retuned to the table with two plates of food.

"Thank you." Mr. Williams looked up at the waiter.

"You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else." The waiter said. "I'll be back to check on you in a few minutes."

The waiter then walked away, leaving Emily and her boss to their meals.

A little later that evening.

"You know, Emily, I'm really looking forward to working with you on this project." Mr. Williams said after he finished chewing a bite of food. "Your rough sketches were great, I can only imagine what your finished plans will be like."

"I can't wait to get started. I can already picture in my mind what I want to do. Now it's just a matter of getting everything down on paper."

"Excellent. I've got my crew together, they'll be working on preparing the job site and they should be ready to start construction as soon as your plans are finished."

"Good. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get the drafting done, but I don't think it will."

Emily's boss smiled as he wiped his perfectly trimmed goatee with his napkin.

"I'm glad my business partner and I chose you for this job. I think you're going to be a perfect fit. Obviously my partner's not here this evening, but I think he'll be happy with the decision."

"I look forward to meeting him." Emily smiled. "I promise I won't disappoint."

"According to your former clients' praises, I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I've worked with some really great people." Emily said, assuming Mr. Williams had contacted some of her listed references.

"You know, my partner originally wanted to go with someone a little older and more experienced, but after reading your absolutely glowing letter of recommendation, we both knew that you were someone who we really wanted to work on this project."

"Letter of recommendation?" Emily asked.

"Yes; the one from Peter Hastings. He said you recently completed a remodel and built an addition on to his house."

"I did, but I never submitted a recommendation letter from Mister Hastings..."

"I know. He contacted me and asked if the architect position was still available. When I said yes, he gave you a wonderful reference and insisted on sending me a letter of recommendation. You apparently made quite an impact on him."

At that moment, Emily remembered mentioning applying for the military base position to Peter during a conversation when she had first begun working for the Hastings.

"Emily, is everything all right?" Mr. Williams asked, noticing the blank expression on Emily's face.

"Oh, uh, yes. Everything's fine." Emily blinked a few times, trying to clear her mind. "I was just...a little surprised, that's all. I had no idea Mister Hastings would go to that much trouble just to help get me a job."

"He must think you deserve it."

"I'll have to be sure to thank him." Emily forced herself to smile.

For the remainder of the evening, Emily tried her best to remain calm, though she was now very angry that Peter had taken it upon himself to make sure that she would be as far away from Spencer as possible. It was one thing when Peter just disliked Emily as Spencer's girlfriend, she had accepted that, she could handle that, but now she felt as if this was a real attempt from Peter to try to break she and Spencer up.

When the meeting was over, Emily and her boss headed toward the restaurant's exit.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily." Mr. Williams said as he extended his hand to the architect.

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, sir." Emily shook his hand.

"I'll see you on Monday morning. We have an office set up for you at the base. You should have everything you'll need."

"Great. Thank you. I'll be at the base bright and early."

"Sounds good. Have a good night, Emily."

"You too."

Emily and Mr. Williams then parted ways and headed to their own cars. Emily drove home in silence, thinking about Spencer and their relationship. Emily was planning to Skype with Spencer when she got home and now she was debating whether or not to tell Spencer about her father's actions, but Emily decided it would be best if she just kept it to herself, as she didn't want to be the cause of any additional tension between the members of her girlfriend's family.

When Emily arrived home, she parked her mother's car in the driveway and stepped out. Emily walked up the porch stairs and opened the front door.

"Hi, honey. How was your meeting?" Pam asked.

"It went well. I like my boss." Emily said as she unbuttoned her jacket. "He seems like a pretty nice guy. I'm excited to get to work."

"Glad to hear it." Wayne said.

"I'm gonna go change my clothes." Emily headed toward her bedroom.

"Make sure you hang that suit up." Pam said. "Don't you dare throw it on the floor."

"I won't, mom." Emily laughed.

When Emily got to her room she closed her door, slipped her jacket off of her shoulders and hung it up in the closet. Emily was in the middle of unbuttoning her shirt when she heard her laptop ping from over on her desk. Emily walked over to her laptop to find that she had a Skype request from Spencer. Emily happily accepted the request and after only a matter of a few seconds Spencer's image popped up on the computer screen.

"Hey. You're home." Spencer said. "I wasn't sure if you'd be back yet."

"You have perfect timing." Emily said as she sat down at her desk. "I actually walked in the door a couple of minutes ago. I was just changing my clothes."

"Don't let me stop you." Spencer smirked. "If you wanna take your clothes off, that's perfectly fine by me."

Emily just laughed and shook her head.

"Is that a no?" Spencer asked.

"Since this isn't my apartment and my parents are watching t.v. just down the hall, yeah, I think I have to say that's a no."

"Fine. If you're not gonna get naked, I guess we can just talk. How was your meeting? Does your boss love you?"

"I don't know about love, we only had a couple of hours together, but I think he likes me well enough and he seems like a pretty cool guy, I think I'll like working with him."

"That's awesome, Em. I'm so glad your meeting went well."

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "How's your night going?"

"All right. My friends just left a little while ago."

"Oh yeah? You guys do anything fun?"

"We talked about you. That's always fun."

"I find it hard to believe that I'm a very interesting topic of conversation."

"Of course you are. My friends were really excited to hear all about our date last night. Especially Hanna."

"And how much did you tell them about our date, exactly?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"I told them enough without giving them too many of our more intimate details. I wanted to keep some stuff just between you and I."

"I get it. And I agree with you." Emily nodded.

"Oh, hey Em…"

"Yeah, Spence?"

"I hope you won't get upset, but I wanted to tell you…my mom knows we slept together."

"She does?" Emily looked surprised.

"Yeah…she pretty much knew when I got home. She asked me if we did and I told her the truth."

"So…is she pissed?" There was a hint of uneasiness in Emily's voice.

"Not at all." Spencer said reassuringly. "She knows how I feel about you and she said she trusts my judgment."

"You don't think she'd tell your dad, do you?"

"Definitely not. She even made me promise not to say anything to him. He'd have a complete meltdown if he found out I lost my virginity to you last night."

"I can only imagine." Emily said.

A moment later, Emily heard a knock at her bedroom door.

"Hang on a second, Spence." Emily then turned toward the door. "Come in." She called out.

Emily's father then walked into the room carrying two pillows.

"Here, Emmy, your mother wanted me to bring you some extra pillows. She's worried about your neck support." Wayne rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Thanks, dad." Emily laughed too.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Wayne said, noticing Emily's Skype call up on the computer.

"It's okay." Emily said. "Since you're here, you wanna meet Spencer?"

"Of course." Wayne nodded.

Wayne stepped over to the computer and leaned down over his daughter's shoulder.

"Hey, Spence, this is my dad."

"Hi, Mister Fields." Spencer smiled as Emily's father came into view. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. Emily's told me nothing but wonderful things about you. I assume she treats you well?"

"She definitely does. Emily's really, really sweet. And kind and respectful." Spencer said. "I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend."

"I'm very glad to hear that." Wayne said. "And I also hear you may be coming to visit us soon?"

"I'm hoping to, if that's all right with you, of course."

"I'm looking forward to it." Wayne smiled. "I think I'll leave you two alone, but I have to say, it's nice to finally meet the girl my Emmy is so crazy over."

"Thank you." Spencer grinned, wildly.

"Don't stay up too late, baby." Wayne said as he kissed Emily on top of the head. "Your mother wants us dressed and out the door for church by seven. Mass is at seven thirty sharp."

"Got it, dad." Emily nodded. "I'll be ready."

"Perfect. Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight, Mister Fields." Spencer said.

"Night, dad."

Wayne then exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Your dad calls you Emmy." Spencer said. "That's like beyond adorable."

"He's the only person I'll let call me that. He always has and it just stuck."

"Your dad seems like a really nice guy."

"He is. I can't wait for you guys to meet in person."

"Neither can I."

As Spencer stared at her computer screen at her girlfriend, she watched Emily yawn.

"Sleepy?" Spencer asked.

"A little. It's been kind of a long day."

"Tell me about it…as much as I'd like to stay up all night talking to you, I think you should really get some sleep. I don't want you nodding off at church, something tells me that your mom wouldn't approve."

"No, she definitely wouldn't…I really wish you were here, Spence."

"So do I." Spencer sighed heavily. "Will you text me when you wake up?"

"I can, but I'll probably be up around six to get ready for church. You sure you want me to text you that early?"

"Sure. I wanna talk to you. I don't care when it is."

"All right then. I'll talk to you first thing tomorrow morning."

"I can't wait."

"Me either."

"Goodnight." Spencer then pressed her lips to the tips of her own fingers and blew Emily a kiss goodnight. "I love you, Em."

"I love you too, Spence. Sweet dreams."

Emily waited for her girlfriend to sign off and once she had, Emily did the same. Emily then stood up, she changed her clothes, turned out the light and got into bed. Emily spent the next fifteen minutes lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling thinking about everything from Spencer to her new job to Spencer's father before finally drifting off to sleep.


	54. Chapter 54

It was exactly six o'clock the next morning when Emily's alarm went off. She slowly opened her eyes and rolled over, reaching to her nightstand to shut the alarm off. Once the alarm had been silenced, Emily rolled over on to her back and stretched her muscles. After a moment or two she heard her right shoulder pop.

"That feels better." Emily mumbled to herself.

A few moments later, Emily heard her phone chime. She reached over to the nightstand and picked up her cell phone to see that she had a new text from Spencer.

Morning. :) I really hope I'm not waking you up.

Good morning, beautiful. :) And don't worry, you didn't wake me up. I just got up a few minutes ago.

Cool. Do you have time to call me? I wanna hear your sexy first thing in the morning voice.

Sure. ;) hold on a second.

After a few seconds Spencer saw that she had an incoming call from Emily.

"Hi." Spencer said, happily.

Emily could almost hear the smile in Spencer's voice.

"Hey. You're up pretty early this morning."

"I've been up for a little while now. I didn't really sleep very well last night."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I've just been trying to get used to knowing that I won't get to see you for a while."

"I know. It sucks not being with you."

"It really does, Em. I've been up since five a.m. Texas time wanting to call you, I could barely wait until six your time. Listen, I uh, I hope that you don't think I'm like being too needy or clingy or whatever by texting you so early..."

"I'm glad you texted me. Who wouldn't want a good morning text from a crazy hot girl? Who said it was needy or clingy? Wait, let me guess…Alison?"

"Well, she didn't exactly say that, I mean she said to like play it cool and not act all depressed and stuff when I talked to you, but it's so hard. I was up like a million times last night thinking about you. Doesn't that automatically make me an extremely needy and clingy girlfriend?"

"Not at all. I think that makes you an incredibly sweet girlfriend." Emily smiled to herself. "I know Alison's your friend and all, but don't listen to her when it comes to stuff between you and I. Okay? She's been wrong about pretty much everything having to do with our relationship. Just talk to me. I want us to be able to be open with each other."

"So do I." Spencer agreed.

"And I don't want you to ever be afraid to call me, okay? I don't care when it is. You know if you need me, I'm here for you."

"Thanks. I just wanted to talk to you, but you've only been gone for one day. I was afraid you'd think I was being like really desperate. I know that can be a huge turn off to some people."

"Honestly, I actually love that I'm on your mind a lot. It's flattering and a huge turn on, in my opinion."

"Good. Since you left, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the other night."

"You mean our date?"

"Yeah."

"That night's been on my mind a lot too...so…now that you've had a little time for everything to kind of sink in, you don't regret sleeping with me, do you? That's not why you've been thinking so much about it, right? I know you said you were okay, but…"

"Em, I don't regret anything about that night. I just mean I haven't been able to stop thinking about it because ever since we slept together I've felt like really connected to you. Even more than I did before. No one has ever been so romantic and caring with me."

"It's so easy with you, Spencer. You're the sweetest, most beautiful girl I've ever met. I can't help but want to be anything except romantic with you."

Spencer sighed loudly.

"I wish I could have come to Texas with you. I'm sure your parents are excited to have you all to themselves though…"

"They're happy I'm home, but they're also definitely looking forward to having you come visit. Which reminds me, have you asked your parents if it's okay for you to come visit me? I'm pretty sure I already know how your dad will feel about the idea, but maybe your mom could help sway his opinion?"

"Don't worry. I already asked my mom and she said I can go."

"She did? That's great." Emily said happily.

"I know. My mom's awesome."

"Has she actually discussed it with your dad?"

"I don't know. I just asked her last night, but I'm not worried about my dad. I don't care what he says, I'm coming to see you next month whether he likes it or not."

"So...Spence...I...um..." Emily hesitated, considering telling Spencer that her father was the reason that she was in Texas to begin with.

"You what?"

"Oh, uh, nothing." Emily said. "I was just thinking about how I can't wait for you to come see me."

"I can't wait either. I can't think of a better way to start off the new year. My mom was wondering if you could give us your parents' number, just so she can call and talk to your mom about me coming down and everything."

"Yeah, definitely. I'll text you my parents' number later."

"Thanks…so are you getting ready for church?"

"I will be as soon as I can manage to get out of bed." Emily laughed. "So, what's going on in the house of Hastings this early on a Sunday morning?"

"Not much. I'm just sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee by myself. We're supposed to go to the country club for brunch later, but I don't know if I feel like going."

"You should go."

"Why? It'll be boring. My parents talking about work and Melissa's wedding and stuff. Just like it always is."

"Look, Spence, I know It doesn't really seem that exciting or important now, but sooner than you think you're gonna be off to college and everything and you'll wish that you had spent more time with your family, even if it was just one boring Sunday brunch together. Trust me."

"I guess…"

A moment later, Emily heard a knock at her bedroom door.

"Emily, honey, are you awake?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, mom, I'm up." Emily called out.

"Okay, just checking. We leave for church at seven."

"I'll be ready."

"I put some fresh towels out in your bathroom."

"Okay, thanks."

"Hey, I gotta go get ready for church. I'll call you later, okay?"

"You better." Spencer laughed. "Don't forget."

"Such little faith in me." Emily laughed too. "I won't forget."

"Good."

"I love you, Spence. Have a good time at brunch."

"I'll try and I love you too. Bye, Em."

Once Spencer's line had disconnected, Emily set her own phone back on the nightstand and got out of bed.

* * *

That morning, after mass had ended, Emily and her parents walked into the church's vestibule, where many of the parishioners were chatting with one another.

"Pam, Wayne?" A voice said from behind the Fields.'

They all turned around to find a middle-aged woman with light brown hair and dark eyes. Emily recognized the woman to be one of Pam's friends.

"Hi, Joanne." Pam said. "How have you been?

"I'm just fine, thanks. Glad to be back from Seattle."

"Since you're back, I take it your mom's doing better?" Pam asked.

"Yes. Her knee replacement seems to be working very well. I can barely keep up with her." The woman laughed, then shifted her gaze to Emily. "Now, this can't possibly be your little Emily. She's all grown up."

"She sure is." Pam said, placing her arm around her daughter. "And isn't she just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"

"Mom…" Emily groaned in embarrassment as her skin reddened.

"Your mother's right, you have grown up in to a beautiful young lady." The woman said.

"Thank you." Emily replied, sincerely.

"You know, I think the last time I saw you, you were still in high school." Joanne said. "That seems so long ago. How old are you now?"

"I'm twenty three."

"I can hardly believe it. My baby's twenty three." Pam said. "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does. Are you back living in Texas, sweetie?" Joanne asked, looking up at Emily.

"Sort of…well for the time being anyway. I got a job here."

"Not just any job. She's designing the new Fort Hood Army base." Wayne said.

"Really? That's wonderful. How long will you be in town?"

"A while. Probably four or five months."

"I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind if you moved back permanently." Joanne said. "You should think about it. There must be plenty of jobs around here for an architect."

"Oh, well, I…" Emily said.

"I really don't know if I'd be able to convince her to move home now." Pam said. "You see, this time she left a girl back in Pennsylvania."

"You have a girlfriend?" Joanne smiled. "That's great. Who's the lucky young lady?"

"Her name's Spencer. She's tall, brunette, absolutely gorgeous, amazingly sweet and she's perfect for me. She couldn't have come into my life at a better time. We met a few months ago when I started working on a project for her parents."

"Your mother must be absolutely thrilled."

"Oh, I am." Pam nodded. "It's about time you started dating again."

"Honestly, honey, you shouldn't let one bad experience ruin future relationships for you." Joanne said. "I know you were pretty down for a while, but I'm glad to hear that you've put yourself back out there."

"Thank you." Emily said. "I'm actually really happy right now."

"You certainly deserve it." Pam said.

* * *

Later that morning, Emily and her parents sat down to breakfast together.

"Have you talked to Spencer today?" Pam asked as she placed three pancakes onto Emily's plate.

"I talked to her for a little while this morning when I woke up."

"How does she feel about you being away?" Wayne asked.

"She's taking it kind of hard. Everything just happened so fast, I'm her first girlfriend and she's never had to deal with a long distance relationship with anyone before. But, Spencer's been completely supportive of me. When I got offered this job, I talked everything over with her before making a decision and she's the one who really encouraged me to do this."

"Sounds like Spencer's very mature for eighteen." Wayne said.

"She is. I hate seeing her upset about me leaving, but I know that she cares about me and I'm positive that I can trust her while I'm away."

"I'm so glad you've finally realized that just because one woman hurt you doesn't mean they all will." Pam said.

"I know that now. It just took me a little time to find someone to show me." Emily said as she cut her pancakes into smaller pieces. "Oh, mom, Spencer said her mom wants to call and talk to you about her coming to visit. I think Missus Hastings just wants to make sure that everything's okay with you and dad."

"Sure, honey. What's Missus Hastings first name again?" Pam asked.

"Veronica."

"All right. I'll let her know that we'll take good care of Spencer while she's here."

"Thanks, mom."

"You know, I'm so excited that you'll be home for the next few months." Pam said. "Maybe you can help me take care of some minor repairs around the house that your father's been neglecting. He keeps saying he'll get to fixing everything, but the dishwasher hasn't worked in almost three weeks. Your father refuses to let me call a repairman." Pam shot her husband a playful glare.

"I haven't been neglecting the dishwasher, I've just been really tied up at work lately." Wayne chuckled a little. "There's no sense in calling someone to fix something that I can repair myself."

Emily laughed.

"Just write me a to do list." Emily said, glancing over at her mother. "I'll take care of what ever needs fixed."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Pam said.

"Maybe I can look at the dishwasher later this evening." Emily said. "First, I want to check out my motorcycle and make sure everything's still in working order. You didn't get rid of it, did you?" Emily asked.

"No. It's still in the garage." Pam sighed. "But don't think I haven't considered selling it. You know how I feel about that death machine."

"Death machine." Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's safe. I know how to drive it. You made me take all of the safety classes twice just to be sure everything sunk in, remember?"

"Yes. And I trust you. It's all of the other drivers I worry about."

"It'll be fine." Wayne said calmly. "How about after breakfast we head out to the garage and I'll help you give the bike a tune up?"

"Sure. Sounds great, dad."

"Maybe when Spencer comes to visit you could even take her for a ride. I bet she'd love it." Wayne smiled at his daughter.

"I should. She'd have nothing to hold on to except me…" Emily smirked. "I think I like that idea."

"I guess it's not enough to endanger yourself, you want to involve your innocent girlfriend too?" Pam said, only half joking.

"Pam, you worry too much." Wayne said as he lifted a bite of pancakes to his mouth.

"I'm a mother. It's my job to worry about our only child and motorcycles are dangerous."

"You didn't seem to mind them so much when I had one back in college." Wayne said. "You rode on it and didn't think it was dangerous."

"Are you talking about that scooter you had?" Pam laughed. "It was electric and didn't go more than twenty five miles an hour. Skateboarders used to pass us on campus. You're so lucky that you were cute back then because you have no idea how much teasing I took from my girlfriends when you'd show up for our dates on that thing. I only pretended to like it because I knew how much it meant to you."

"Ouch." Emily chuckled.

"Don't listen to your mother, Em. She exaggerates. That scooter went at least forty five and she loved it, no matter what she says now." Wayne grumbled as he raised his coffee mug to his lips.

"You know, in all seriousness, I really miss this. I've missed you guys a lot."

"We've missed you too, honey." Pam said. "We're so glad to have you home."

"I'm glad to be home." Emily smiled.


	55. Chapter 55

That morning Spencer had been sitting on her bed, twirling one of the roses Emily had given her, in her hand. Spencer looked up only when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Spencer called out.

Melissa then opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Hey, mom wants to know if you're coming to brunch."

"I don't know. I don't really feel like it..." Spencer sighed.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem a little down…you already miss Emily, don't you?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "I mean, I knew I would, but I didn't expect it to be this hard."

"I know you're sad and I get that." Melissa said sympathetically. "But you can't stop living your life. That won't bring Emily back any sooner."

"I know. I just wish she didn't have to be gone for so long...hey...can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Um…after you lost your virginity, did you feel really clingy, like all you wanted to do was be with the guy all the time?"

Melissa turned around and closed the bedroom door before walking over to the bed and sitting down, next to her sister.

"You and Emily slept together? That's why you're taking her leaving so hard, huh?"

"Yeah. I know I must seem like really pathetic right now, but I just can't help it. I didn't expect to feel so alone."

"Spence, you're not pathetic, okay? It's normal to feel the way that you do. And to answer your question, I didn't personally feel that way after my first time, but I wasn't in love with the guy. I think it's probably different for you because you love Emily so much. I doubt anyone who's in love could be away from their boyfriend or girlfriend without feeling lonely."

"Did Emily give you this?" Melissa asked, touching the rose in Spencer's hand.

"Yeah. She gave me a whole dozen, actually." Spencer pointed to the vase on her desk that contained the other eleven red roses.

"I love red roses. They're so romantic." Melissa smiled.

"I know. She gave me these at the very beginning of one of the best nights of my life. Emily cooked me a beautiful, romantic dinner and then afterwards we, well, you know..."

"Are you okay with what happened between you two? Do you want to talk about it or anything?"

"You and mom are so much alike. She asked me the exact same thing when she found out that I lost my virginity."

"You told mom?"

"I didn't really have to. She pretty much already knew when I came home. When she asked, I told her the truth."

"Dad doesn't know, right?"

"No. I'm not telling him and neither is mom. I didn't really even tell mom very much."

"I get not wanting to talk to mom, but you can talk to me, if you want to."

"Thanks. It was great. Emily was so gentle and she told me that she loved me before, during and after...she just made me feel really comfortable the whole time. It was perfect."

"You know, Spence, I'm glad this is the reaction you're having. A lot of people end up moving too fast and regretting everything."

"I know, that's why I always promised myself that I'd wait until I was actually in love and I'm so glad that I did."

"Me too." Melissa reached over and patted Spencer's knee. "I'm glad it was special for you. Is Emily going to be coming home at all during these next few months?"

"I'm not sure. It'll probably depend on how busy she is with this job, but I'm going down to Texas over New Years to visit."

"That's good. I'm sure you'll have fun...now what do you say you come to brunch with us?" Melissa asked as she stood up.

"Okay. I guess I'll come." Spencer got up off of the bed, placed the rose she was holding back into the vase and followed her sister out of the room.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

"Why don't you go ahead and bring your bike out into the driveway, Em?" Wayne said. "I'll grab my tool box."

"Sure, dad."

Emily walked over to her red and black Kawasaki Ninja, flipped up the kickstand with her foot and walked it out into the driveway.

"Let's see how it runs." Emily said as she pulled the key out of her pocket and inserted it into the ignition.

Emily turned the key and the engine roared to life.

"Sounds pretty good." Emily said.

"I bought some new spark plugs a while ago, I've been meaning to change them, but haven't had the chance." Wayne said as he walked out into the driveway.

"I can help you change them, then we can change the oil, check the air filter, brake cables and all of that stuff."

"Sounds good to me." Wayne said.

Emily shut off the motorcycle's engine and walked over to her father's toolbox where she picked up a few tools.

"I'll take the seat off." Wayne said.

Once Wayne had removed the bike's seat, Emily picked up a socket wrench and began removing the two bolts which held the gas tank in place.

"You'd think the manufacturer would make the engine a little easier to get to." Emily said as she picked up a pair of pliers and slid both the vacuum and fuel hoses out of the way. "Why do they have to make it such a pain in the ass?"

"Beats me." Wayne laughed.

* * *

Pam had been in the middle of folding some laundry when she heard the phone ring.

"Fields residence." Pam said.

"Hello, is this Pam Fields?" The caller on the other end asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Hi, Pam, this is Veronica Hastings, Spencer's mother."

"Great. How are you doing?" Pam asked.

"Just fine. And yourself?"

"Very well, thanks."

"So, Spencer's been a little upset since Emily left, and I'm sure you already know that the girls have made plans for Spencer to visit…I just wanted to call and make sure that Spencer coming down to Texas was all right with you and your husband."

"Absolutely. My husband and I would be more than happy to have her. In fact, we're looking forward to it. I met your daughter when I was in Pennsylvania visiting Emily a few months ago and Spencer just seems like the sweetest little thing."

"Well, thank you. You, know, your Emily is just so polite and respectful and such a hard worker. Spencer really adores her, it's not hard to see why."

"Thank you, I'm glad to hear that…so when would Spencer like to come down? Emily mentioned New Years."

"Spencer has a trip to Washington D.C. for student council right after Christmas, but she'll be back on the twenty eight."

"When do they go back to school after Christmas break?"

"Monday the third."

"All right, how about you send Spencer down on the twenty ninth and she can stay until the second. She wouldn't have to miss any school."

"That's exactly what Spencer had in mind. Are you sure you wouldn't mind having her for almost a week?"

"Oh, not at all, it's perfectly fine with me."

"Wonderful. I'll let Spencer know and I'll work on making her a fight arrangement."

"Great. Emily'll be so excited to have her here.

Once Pam had finished talking to Veronica, she hung up the phone and walked outside to the driveway where Emily and Wayne were working.

"Emily, honey." Pam said.

"Yeah, mom?" Emily stood up from her seated position on the driveway, helping her father change the motorcycle's oil.

"I wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with Veronica Hastings."

"And…" Emily said as she wiped off her hands on a rag. "Is she still letting Spencer visit me?"

"Yes. She said that Spencer will be on a student council trip from the twenty sixth to the twenty eighth, so we decided that she can fly down on the Tuesday after that and fly home on Sunday the second. That way you'll have almost a week together and she'll be back home in time for school on Monday."

"That sounds perfect. I can't wait. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie. So…Missus Hastings seems to like you."

"I'm glad. I like her a lot. She's really nice."

Pam smiled.

"Are you two about done tinkering with that motorcycle? You should really unpack your suitcase."

"I will. I just wanna give my bike a quick wash and take it for a short ride to make sure everything's running well, before I drive it to work tomorrow."

"All right. Since you're going for a ride, would you mind picking up some milk for me?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now, please make sure you wear your helmet."

"Don't worry, mom, I always do."

* * *

Veronica walked down the hallway to her husband's office, she stepped into the room where Peter was working at his computer.

"Peter. Do you have a minute, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Peter looked up from his computer screen.

"I know it's about a month away, but Christmas vacation is coming up and Spencer wants to go visit Emily in Texas."

"No." Peter said sternly. "Spencer needs to spend the holiday here with her family. Besides she has a student council trip right after Christmas."

"She's still going on the Washington trip, but when she gets back, I told her that she can go visit Emily over New Years. She'll be back in time for school after the holiday."

"Veronica, how could you give Spencer permission to go to Texas without even discussing it with me first?" Peter stood up as he loosened the tie around his neck.

"Because I already knew how you'd react."

"So you knew I'd be angry, but you told her she could go anyway? I guess my opinion doesn't matter to you at all then?"

"Of course it does, but you've been unreasonable since the minute you found out that Spencer and Emily had been seeing each other. Spencer just wants to visit Emily for a few days. It's completely harmless." Veronica said calmly.

"No. You're just going to have to go tell Spencer you changed your mind. There's no way she's going half way across the country so she can shack up with her twenty three year old girlfriend, alone without any adult supervision. It's not happening."

"Her girlfriend has a name, you know." Veronica said, defensively. "And they wouldn't be shacking up. Emily is living with her parents while she's working in Texas. I spoke to her mother and she's happy to invite Spencer for a visit. But even if Emily was living on her own, how can you argue that it's unacceptable for Spencer to visit for all of a few days, yet you're perfectly fine with Melissa and Wren living together. I've always prided us on being a relatively open-minded family, I don't understand why you're changing your mind now."

"Melissa and Wren are different, they're engaged. When Spencer gets engaged, if she wants to live with her fiancée, then we'll talk."

"Well, with the way you've been acting I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of these days Spencer showed up with a ring on her finger and plans to move as far away as possible with Emily."

"I would never allow that to happen."

"You forget that Spencer is an adult in the eyes of the law. She doesn't need permission. You've already pushed her so far away from us. Do you really want to lose her forever? Because that's exactly the direction we're headed in. What bothers me even more is that you have yet to show even the tiniest speck of sympathy to Spencer regarding Emily's leaving. You barely even looked at her during brunch today and you don't even speak to her unless it's to yell or argue about something. Maybe you don't care about her feelings, but I certainly do. Spencer's already having a tough time dealing with Emily leaving and it hurts me to see her so upset, that's why I'm letting her make the trip to Texas. If it's important to her, it's important to me."

"You're extremely too lenient with Spencer. You baby her entirely too much. Melissa never gave us nearly as much trouble."

"Spencer's just more of a free spirit than Melissa was."

"That doesn't mean we should just let her do what ever the hell she feels like. When Melissa was eighteen there's no way we would have ever let her fly a thousand miles away for some twenty three year old man, why would we allow it for Spencer?"

"I can't necessarily say that I wouldn't have let Melissa go, but that's totally irrelevant anyway. Spencer and Melissa are two entirely different people and should be treated as such."

"Regardless of the situation, Spencer still lives under our roof, which means that she has to abide by our rules and as long as she lives in this house, she relies on her parents to support her and I refuse to pay for a plane ticket to Texas. It's not happening."

"You're not the only breadwinner in this house, you know." Veronica's tone was more belligerent. "I make just as much money as you do and I have an equal say in how we spend it. You're being stubborn and pigheaded, but whether you agree or not, Spencer's going to Texas with my permission."

Veronica then turned and walked out of her husband's office.

* * *

Later that evening.

Spencer had been working on some homework when she received a Skype request from Emily. Spencer smiled to herself and happily accepted.

"Hey, Em." Spencer said once Emily's image appeared on the screen.

"Hey, babe. Did your mom tell you that she called my mom?"

"No, I haven't seen her since brunch, I've been working on homework for most of the afternoon."

"Oh, well, my mom said that she and your mom decided that you could fly down on the twenty ninth of next month and you get to stay for almost a whole week."

"That's so awesome." Spencer smiled.

"I know. I'm so excited. I can't wait to have you here."

"I'll get my plane ticket as soon as possible. I'll start looking tonight. I want the earliest flight possible."

"No way. I'll buy your ticket."

"You don't have to do that, Em."

"I want to. I'm gonna fly my gorgeous girlfriend out here in month to see me. I don't want you or your parents to worry about it. I'll take care of everything. Don't give it another thought."

"You're amazing." Spencer stared at Emily's image on the screen.

"I do what I can…so how was brunch today?"

"Boring, just like I expected. My dad basically falls all over Melissa and ignores me, nothing new."

"I'm really sorry, Spence…"

"Don't be. It's not your fault…how was your day?"

"It was good. I went to church with my parents then my dad and I tuned up my motorcycle and I took it for a ride. Now, I'm just working on doing some unpacking, but I got bored, so I thought I'd see what you were up to."

"Are you all ready to start your job tomorrow?"

"As ready as I'm going to be, I guess."

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Don't be. Everything will be fine. You're so talented and I know you're gonna do an amazing job."

"Thanks, Spence. It's so nice to know that I can always count on you for a confidence boost when I need it."

A moment later, Emily heard a knock at her door.

"Honey, dinner will be ready in five minutes." Pam said from the other side of the bedroom door.

"Okay, mom. I'll be out in a minute." Emily called out.

"Hey, Spence, I gotta go eat dinner, I'm really sorry I have to cut this short. Can we talk later?"

"Don't be sorry, I just like seeing you, it doesn't matter if it's only for a few minutes. Besides, you should be spending time with your parents. I don't wanna keep you from them. Call me some time before you go to bed, okay?"

"I will."

"Kay. Bye, Em."

"Bye, Spence."

 


	56. Chapter 56

It was early the next morning that Emily found herself showered, dressed and ready to officially start her new job.

"Emily, honey, are you having breakfast?" Pam asked from the outside of Emily's closed bedroom door.

"Sure, mom."

"Okay. Come downstairs then. Breakfast is just about ready."

Emily took one last look in the mirror above her dresser. She finished buttoning up her shirt and slipped on her jacket before heading out of her bedroom.

"Don't you just look so adorable?" Pam said as Emily walked into the kitchen.

Pam walked over to Emily and kissed her on the cheek.

"I made your favorite. French toast." Pam said.

"Thanks, mom." Emily smiled.

Emily walked over to the table and sat down across from her father.

"You look great, kiddo." Wayne said. "You ready for your first day on the job?"

"I think I am." Emily said as Pam placed three pieces of French toast in front of her. "Thanks, mom."

"I know you'll do a wonderful job." Wayne said. "You want to ride to the base with me today?"

"Sure, dad. I'd love to."

* * *

When Emily and her father arrived at the Army base that morning, they were greeted by Mr. Williams and a tall, dark haired man with a full, yet well-trimmed beard.

"Good morning, Emily." Mr. Williams said. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well and yourself?" Emily said politely.

"Great, thanks...Emily this is my business partner and co-contractor, Jonathan Carson." Mr. Williams motioned to the man standing beside him.

"Hello, Emily." Mr. Carson took a step forward and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard some great things about you from Anthony here."

"It's nice to meet you too. Thank you for the opportunity." Emily said as she shook Mr. Carson's hand. "I can't wait to get started."

"That's what I like to hear." Mr. Carson smiled.

"Oh and this is my father, Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Fields." Emily motioned to her father.

"It's nice to meet you both." Wayne took a moment to shake the hands of both men.

"Are you the man in charge at this base?" Mr. Carson asked.

"No, I'm just in charge of training the new recruits." Wayne said.

"Well…once the new base is finished, you should have an even better training facility." Mr. Williams chimed in.

"I can't wait. This base is getting a little dated. It's time for a change…I hate to run, but I had better be getting to work. We've got a brand new group of recruits coming in today, I don't want to be late." Wayne then turned to his daughter. "I'll talk to you later, Em."

"Okay. Bye, dad."

"So, Emily, what do you say we take a walk over to the job site?" Mr. Williams said. "Maybe help you get the lay of the land? Then we'll show you to your office."

"That sounds great." Emily said as she and her bosses began walking across the base.

"I apologize for the short notice in offering you the job. I know we kind of uprooted you from Pennsylvania rather quickly." Mr. Carson said. "But, we've already been running a little behind and to make matters worse, I'm not exactly the most organized person when it comes to business affairs, my wife usually manages that aspect of the company, but we just had our first baby born about a month ago, so she's been busy taking care of our son."

"Congratulations. You must be really excited." Emily said.

"We are. There just aren't enough hours in the day to accommodate as much work and family time as I'd like, but what can you do?"

"Okay, so, the new base will be built adjacent to the old one." Mr. Williams said as he stopped walking. "Our crew has already torn down some of the old barracks and they're working on clearing out the site to prep for construction."

"Sounds good." Emily stared across the base to the area where a few men were working with some heavy machinery, they appeared to be leveling off the area.

"I saw on your résumé that you've got a good bit of construction experience." Mr. Carson said, glancing over at Emily.

"You're a licensed contractor as well as an architect, aren't you?" Mr. Williams asked.

"Yes, I do have my contractor's license so I'm pretty familiar with a lot of different areas of contracting." Emily nodded. "And I've worked on the construction of a lot of my own designs too. I love doing it."

"Excellent. I admire an architect with your kind of dedication." Mr. Carson said.

"Thank you, sir."

"So, Emily, are you ready to head over to your office?" Mr. Williams asked.

"Sure. That would be great."

* * *

When they got to the room designated to be Emily's office, she followed both men inside. Emily looked around the room, which was very spacious, there was a desktop computer sitting atop a large 'L' shaped wooden desk as well as plenty of drafting tools.

"I think you should probably have everything you need." Mr. Williams said. "But, if you don't, just let us know."

"Thank you."

"Anthony and I will be checking in with you regularly. We'll all sit down and go over your designs, just to keep us all on the same page, so once it's time to start building, we'll all know what we're doing."

"Sure. I think that's a good idea." Emily said.

"Great. I guess we'll leave you to get started, then." Mr. Williams said.

* * *

Later that evening.

Spencer had been sitting in the living room with her math text book, working on some homework when her cell phone began ringing. Spencer reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, noticing that she had a FaceTime call from Emily.

"Hey, Em." Spencer quickly answered. "Did you just get home from work?"

"Yep. Just a little while ago."

"How was your first day?"

"It went pretty well, actually. I saw the job site, talked to my bosses for a little while, then I worked on my design for the rest of the day. I have my own office and everything."

"You have your own office? That's awesome."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Emily smiled. "I have one organized space where I can keep all my work stuff, instead of having it cluttered all over my living room. Maybe when I come home I can look into renting some office space."

"I'd love to go office hunting with you. Then we can go furniture shopping, you'd let me decorate an office for you, right?"

"Of course. I couldn't think of anyone better for the job."

"Awesome. I could totally make you the cutest office ever."

"Cutest?" Emily laughed and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh. We'll get you a nice big desk, or even better, we can just get you some really nice, high quality wood and you could build a desk…you know how to do that, don't you?"

"Build a desk? Yeah, I think I could handle that." Emily laughed.

"Cool. Then we can get you a couple of chairs or a couch, I'm thinking maybe leather would look good…and of course a few pictures of me, so you can always think of me when you're working, you know in case you need a little extra inspiration."

"That sounds perfect."

"Okay, now I'm like totally excited. Can you just come home so we can go office hunting?"

"You're even more adorable when you're all excited and passionate about something and I wish I could come home."

"I do too, but since I know that can't happen, I'll just keep my eyes open for any places for rent while your gone. I'm sure we could find you a nice place in Rosewood and I can even ask my mom she might know of some places for rent around Philly."

"Thanks, Spence. That's really sweet of you…so how was school today?"

"It was all right…one day closer to Thanksgiving break, so that's nice."

"I love Thanksgiving."

"So do I. It's my favorite holiday. It totally has the best food."

"I think so too."

"You must be excited that you'll get to be home for Thanksgiving. I have a feeling that your mom probably makes a great meal."

"She does and we have leftovers for days. That's the best. I didn't make it home for Thanksgiving last year, so it's nice that I'll be around this time. It's just too bad I can't bring you with me. Is your family going away?"

"No. This year it's my parents turn to play host. We went to my aunt and uncle's in Vermont last year and my Nana's in Florida the year before, so this time it's Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania."

"Your family's pretty spread out, huh?"

"Yeah, we don't get together very often anymore, usually only for Thanksgiving."

A moment later, Peter walked into the room and noticed Emily's image on Spencer's phone.

"I thought you were working on homework." Peter said.

"I was and it'll get done. But right now, I'm talking to Emily."

"We're having dinner now, so get off the phone."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

"No, not in a minute, I said now."

"Fine." Spencer then turned back to Emily's image on the screen. "I gotta go."

"I understand." Emily nodded.

"I love you, Em." Spencer made sure to say the words loud enough so that her father would hear, even though he had already started walking out of the room. "And I miss you."

"I love and miss you too, Spence. A lot."

"I'll text you later."

"Okay." Emily smiled. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

One week later.

It was early evening when Spencer walked into the kitchen where she saw her mother working on her laptop.

"Hey, mom can I use your computer?" Spencer asked. "I really need to finish typing my book report…"

"You haven't picked your computer up from the repair shop yet?" Veronica looked up from the screen.

"No, they said they didn't have the right size screen in stock, they had to order it. I probably won't have it back until next week. I still can't believe I dropped my laptop in the first place."

"At least you're lucky only the screen broke." Veronica said. "I've got a lot of emails to return before the holiday, I really don't know how long I'll be, so why don't you go use your father's computer in his office? He has a late meeting so he won't be home to use it for at least a couple of hours."

"Okay."

As Spencer was about to leave the room she heard the house's landline phone begin ringing.

"I'll get it." Spencer said as she walked into the living room toward the ringing phone.

Spencer picked the phone up out of the cradle. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was her grandmother on the other end.

"Hi, Nana." Spencer said when she answered the call.

"Spencer, honey, is that you?" The voice on the other line asked.

"Yep. It's me. Are you still coming up from Florida tomorrow?"

"I was actually just calling to talk to your parents about that. I wanted to make sure that tomorrow is still okay with them."

"It's fine." Spencer said happily. "I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either, sweetheart. I haven't talked to you in a while. What's going on with you? Are there any boys in your life that I should know about?"

"No…"

"Really? A smart, pretty, young thing like you doesn't have a boyfriend? I don't believe it."

"Nope, no boyfriend…but there's something I've been meaning to tell you, I just haven't had the chance…I'm um…Nana…I'm gay…are you upset?"

"Upset? At what? You telling me that you're gay? Honey, of course not. There's nothing to be upset over. So you'll be dating girls instead of boys, so what? You're still the same Spencer."

"Thanks, Nana."

"So…do you have a girlfriend?"

"I do, actually."

"Wonderful. Why don't you tell me about her?"

"Her name's Emily. She's twenty three and she's an architect."

"An architect? Am I going to get to meet her?"

"Unfortunately not over Thanksgiving. She's away working in Texas for the next couple of months. She's coming to Melissa's wedding though. You'll see her then. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"I'll look forward to it...do your parents like her?"

"Mom does…dad not so much."

"Does she treat you well?"

"Definitely. She's pretty much the sweetest, most selfless person ever."

"Is she cute?"

"She's so cute." Spencer smiled to herself. "She's got a great smile and the most adorable big brown eyes."

"She's cute, sweet and already has a career? What's there not to like about that? Your father better not have an issue with your sexuality, if he knows what's good for him..."

"He doesn't care that I'm gay…dad hates that Emily's older than I am and we kind of started dating without my parents knowing while she was remodeling our house, so dad doesn't trust her."

"Your father's always been very stubborn, he's a Hastings, stubbornness comes naturally. Just give it a little time, honey. I'm sure he'll come around."

"I hope so." Spencer sighed.

"Everything will be fine. Don't worry." Nana Hastings said reassuringly. "Can you put your mother on the phone for a minute?"

"Sure. She's right here. Hold on."

"Mom, Nana wants to talk to you." Spencer said, walking into the kitchen and handing her mother the phone.

Spencer then walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to her father's office. She opened the door and walked over to his desk where she sat down. Spencer leaned down to plug her flash drive into the computer. When she sat back up, Spencer caught a glimpse of the picture frame sitting on the right side of the desk. In the photo was a three year old Spencer sitting atop her father's shoulders. Spencer stared at the photo for a few long moments. Even though Spencer was angry that her father was acting the way he was, she still found herself desperately craving his approval. Although she had become very good at hiding her true feelings, it made Spencer sad that she and her father were now almost constantly at odds with one another. Spencer did her best to shake the thoughts from her head as she tried to focus on her report, she opened the document containing her report and began typing.

After a few minutes, Spencer clicked on the drop down menu at the top of the screen to save her progress. As she moved her cursor downward, a history of the computer's most recent documents came into view. Most of the titles were seemingly work related, except one in particular that caught Spencer's eye. It read: "Emily: Letter of Recommendation." Spencer assumed it was a letter that Emily had submitted with her résumé before officially being hired by her parents. Spencer allowed her curiosity to get the best of her and opened the document, she read the first few sentences of the letter and realized that it had been written by her father. The letter highly recommended Emily for the Army base design position she had just accepted. The letter said nothing but wonderful things about Emily and her work. Spencer would have assumed that Emily might have asked for a recommendation before Peter discovered that she and Emily were dating, but Spencer noticed the date on the letter was only three weeks prior to the current date. A few tears began to well up in Spencer's eyes as she put two and two together, realizing what her father had done.


	57. Chapter 57

"Mom." Spencer walked quickly down the hallway with a printed copy of Emily's recommendation letter in her hand and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Spencer, honey, what's wrong?" Veronica stood up as her daughter entered the room.

Spencer handed the letter to her mother.

"Dad got Emily the job." Spencer said as she wiped her eyes. "He wrote this letter to get Emily away from me."

"Sweetheart." Veronica hugged her daughter. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea. But, this doesn't change anything between you and Emily." Veronica slowly moved her hand up and down Spencer's back. "She'll be back in a few months and you'll get to see her soon. And believe me, I will be talking to your father about this as soon as he gets home."

"I don't understand why he can't just accept that I love Emily." Spencer sobbed into her mother's shoulder. "Does he really hate me so much that he wants to see me miserable? I just want Emily and I to be together. It shouldn't have to be this hard. It's not fair."

"I know, sweetheart." Veronica said, holding her daughter tight.

It was only a few minutes later that the front door opened and Peter stepped inside, a few hours earlier than expected.

"What's going on?" Peter asked.

Spencer pulled away from Veronica and turned around to look at Peter. Spencer picked up the letter and handed it to her father.

"You made sure Emily would get the job in Texas so she'd be away from me. You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Spencer's tone was angry and tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Spencer. I've tried to be rational with you, but you just don't listen." Peter said, calmly. "Emily is too old for you. I've said it a million times. You need to find someone your own age. I'm only trying to do what's best for you."

"If you wanted what was best for me, you'd leave Emily and I alone. She's what's best for me. Her age doesn't matter, she isn't even that much older. And Emily loves me. She tells me all the time."

"I'm sure she does." Peter said sarcastically. "It's easy to say, they're just words. They don't mean anything."

"Maybe not to you. Because you never tell me that you love me. Or Melissa either. I don't even remember the last time I heard you say it."

"You know that I love you and your sister both very much."

"I don't feel like you do. At least when Emily says she loves me, I know she means it."

"I'm sure she'll make you believe what ever it takes to get you into bed. There's only one thing a twenty three year old would want from an eighteen year old and I won't allow that to happen."

"Peter, you're being absolutely ridiculous." Veronica said.

"No, I really don't think I am."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Spencer said. "You don't even know Emily at all. She'd never use me, I know she wouldn't and you know what dad, Emily and I..."

"Honey, why don't you go upstairs and let your father and I talk?" Veronica quickly intervened before Spencer could finish her statement.

"Do what ever you want, dad. This doesn't change how I feel about her." Spencer stared her father dead in the eyes. "When Emily comes home in the spring we're still going to be together, no matter what you think. And I'm going to see her next month whether you like it or not."

Spencer then stormed out of the room and headed upstairs. It was only a few moments later that Peter and Veronica heard Spencer's bedroom door slam shut.

"How could you do that to her?" Veronica turned to Peter with obvious anger in her eyes. "How could you send her girlfriend half way across the country..."

"I had to do something, Veronica. I had no control over the situation and I've been getting no help from you, so I took matters into my own hands."

"You gave me hell for not discussing Spencer visiting Emily with you only after you went behind my back and pulled a stunt like this? You're unbelievable."

"I helped get the kid a job. And a damn good one at that."

"And that would be fine if you did it with good intentions, but we all know you didn't. You did it out of spite."

"Emily's just lucky Spencer's eighteen, otherwise she'd be sitting in a jail cell instead of working at an Army base a thousand miles away."

"I can't believe you. Do you see how upset Spencer is? Do you even care?"

"Of course I do. I did it because I care about her. I'm sorry that I'm trying to be a father here and protect my daughter."

"Spencer doesn't need protection from Emily. Emily has been nothing but sweet. She cares about our daughter."

"I'm sure it's all just an act. She'll charm the pants right off of Spencer, take her virginity and once Emily gets what she wants, she'll be long gone. She won't have a reason to stick around anymore. Spencer will be devastated and we'll be the ones who have to pick up the pieces, but I'm still the bad guy for not wanting to stand by and let that happen? That doesn't make any sense."

"No, you're logic is what doesn't make any sense. If Emily was that kind of a person, I'd be right there with you, I don't want Spencer to get hurt either, but if you took the time to get to know Emily even a little bit, you'd have realized a long time ago that she isn't who you've made her out to be at all and you're completely destroying your relationship with your daughter over your own false ideas. I'm not necessarily happy that they weren't honest with us from the start, but I can't blame them. You don't have to agree with their relationship, but you could at least try to be tolerant. You knew getting Emily this job in Texas would hurt Spencer and you did it anyway."

"What's done is done. You can be angry all you want, but I won't apologize for doing what I felt was necessary." Peter said as he turned to walk out of the room.

* * *

Spencer reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She opened the FaceTime app on her iPhone and selected Emily's contact. Emily picked up after only two rings.

"Em."

"Spence. What's wrong?" Emily asked noticing the tears in Spencer's eyes. "Are you okay? Talk to me."

"I was using my dad's computer to do homework and I found a letter that he wrote to your boss. He made sure that you'd get this job."

Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I know." Emily said, softly.

"Wait...what do you mean you know?"

"Spence. When I met my boss for dinner, when we were talking, he told me that my recommendation letter from your dad was the deciding factor to give me the job. When I told him I never submitted a letter, he explained that your father called, basically gave me a glowing reference and insisted on sending a written recommendation."

"You've known this for over a week and didn't say anything?" Spencer asked with a shocked expression on her face. "How could you not tell me?"

"I'm sorry. I was only trying to protect you. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"How is lying protecting me? You're the one who said that you wanted us to be open and honest with each other."

"I do want us to be open and honest and I guess I screwed up by not telling you the minute I found out, but I knew you'd be upset and he's your dad. I've already caused so much tension between the two of you. I feel awful about that. I don't want to see you guys fight."

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Let me come down to Texas with you."

"You are, in a month. I bought the plane ticket already, remember?"

"No, I mean now. Let me come live with you. We can find a nice apartment and I can transfer schools. We can be together, just the two of us..."

"Whoa, slow down. You can't just run away from home to be with me."

"Sure, I can. It's the perfect solution. My dad can't butt into our relationship from half way across the country. And we won't fight if we don't speak..."

"That's not a solution at all. Your dad would be furious if you ran away to live with me. He'd probably be on the first plane to Texas to drag you back home. Then I'm sure I'd never see you again. I don't wanna risk that."

"Well...there is something else we could do...we could always get married. There's nothing my dad can do if I'm your wife."

"Spencer. I love you so much, but getting married right now just isn't practical for us and it won't help our situation either. Your dad will probably think I pushed you into it and he'll end up resenting me even more. Besides, when we do decide to get married, I want it to be with your dad's blessing. I wanna ask his permission and get his approval. I wanna spend how ever long it takes finding the perfect engagement ring for you. I'll get you the best, most beautiful diamond I can find. Okay? Then I wanna get down on one knee, look up into those beautiful brown eyes of yours and ask you to be my wife, knowing that if you say yes, your parents accept and support us being together."

"Aw, Em. That's so sweet, but what are we supposed to do until then? It's not like I want to fight with my dad, but if he can't treat you with respect, then he doesn't respect me either. That's just how I feel."

"You're amazing for always sticking up for me and I want you to know that I'm not giving up on us, no matter what your dad says or does right now. If I have to spend years doing everything I can to win him over, then that's just what I'll have to do. Because I love you so much and I'm yours for as long as you want me."

"Is forever an option?" Spencer smiled at Emily's image on the screen as she felt her heart flutter in her chest.

"I sure hope so. Your dad can't hate me forever, right? He has to give in sometime." Emily smiled.

"I don't know how you're so calm about this."

"When I first found out, believe me, I was pissed. But, what could I have done? I was sitting at dinner with my boss. I couldn't flip out, and even if I did, what would that have accomplished? If I had known when I was offered this job, that your dad was involved, I would have told my boss thanks, but no thanks. You know, I was angry for a while, then I realized that by taking this job, I'm making a lot of money and that'll make it easier for me to be able to provide for you, not just now, but also for the future."

"You're so perfect." Spencer couldn't help but smile. "I just still can't believe my dad would do this. I could handle him being unhappy about our relationship, but I never thought he'd actually try to break us up."

"Don't worry, Spence. You're worth working through this. You mean everything to me and we're gonna be okay."

"Thanks, Em. I really needed to hear that."

"I honestly am sorry that I didn't tell you the truth right away, it was stupid of me. I just didn't want to make things worse, you know? Since I never had my dad around all the time when I was growing up, when he'd come home I wanted to be with him as much as I possibly could. When he was fighting overseas, he'd call home as often as he could and every time we'd hang up the phone, I'd pray that that wouldn't be the last time I'd ever talk to my dad. No one wants to think about that, but it was the reality of living in a military household. I learned not to take a minute with my family for granted. I couldn't imagine fighting with or not speaking to my dad. Family has always been so important to me and I think that's a lot of the reason why I feel so terrible that I've come between you and your dad. I just wish that there was something I could do to make things better."

"Emily, this isn't your fault at all. Please don't think that and I love that you're such a giver and you want to fix everything between my dad and I, but you can't. You haven't done anything wrong. This is on him now. When he's ready to apologize for how he's treated you and for trying to break us up, I'll be ready to listen, I can't say I'll be ready to forgive him, but I'll listen."

Emily nodded. "It just sucks that your dad's the whole reason I got this job at all. I feel like such an idiot for believing that I was good enough to get this job on my own."

"You got this job because you're super talented and you deserve it. If your boss didn't see how talented you are, it wouldn't matter how great of a reference my dad gave you. You're amazing at what you do and your boss knows that. That's why you got hired. You're the best architect I know."

"I'm probably the only architect you know." Emily laughed.

"That makes you the best by default. The best is still the best one way or another."

"Thanks, Spence...so I was thinking, I know I've been pretty busy this week and we haven't had a lot of time to talk, so would you wanna have a Skype date with me on Saturday night?"

"A Skype date?"

"Yeah. My parents have plans with a couple of their friends so they won't be around. I was thinking we could eat dinner together and just talk. It'll be almost like actually having dinner together, except I won't get to kiss you good night at the end of the date."

"That's always my favorite part." Spencer frowned, making her best sad puppy face. "But, a Skype date with you sounds amazing. I'd love that."

"Great. What time works for you?"

"How about like eight my time, so seven for you?"

"Perfect. I can't wait."

"So, is your family getting ready for Thanksgiving?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. My grandparents are coming on Wednesday. So my mom's been nonstop cleaning the house. I don't know how you clean what's already clean, but my mom can get a little crazy when her parents come to town."

"Where are they from?"

"They live in Arizona, just outside of Flagstaff."

"What are your grandparents like?"

"My grandpa's pretty easy going, which is kinda surprising because he used to be a Marine. My grandma's a little more uptight, she can be a little pushy some times, but she's very loving. My mom's actually a lot like her. Have your relatives gotten to Pennsylvania yet?"

"No. My Nana will be here tomorrow, but my Aunt and Uncle and cousins aren't coming up until Thanksgiving day. They're flying in early Thursday morning. I told my Nana all about you though."

"You did?"

"Yep. She's looking forward to meeting you at Melissa's wedding."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her either."

* * *

Late the next afternoon.

Peter knocked on the door to his wife's office at their Philadelphia law firm.

"Come in." Veronica called out.

Peter opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Veronica, would you be able to pick my mom up at the airport?" Peter asked. "My last client is running late."

"Yes. I'm just about done here. I'll head over to the airport in about ten minutes."

"Thank you. I'll see you at home in a little while."

* * *

When Veronica arrived at the airport, she found the correct terminal and waited for her mother-in-law's flight to land. It was about twenty minutes later when Veronica noticed an older woman with short, white hair walk through the terminal's doorway. Veronica waved to the women, who she, of course, immediately recognized to be her mother-in-law.

"Veronica. How are you?" Nana Hastings asked as she wrapped her arms around her daughter-in-law.

"I'm all right. How are you?"

"Still alive. I guess that counts for something." The older Hastings woman laughed.

"You look great." Veronica said.

"Thank you. So do you." Nana Hastings said as she took a step back to look at Veronica.

"Thank you. So…how was your flight?"

"It was fine. I'm glad to be back on the ground though. Where's Peter?"

"He's still working. He got stuck at the office. Why don't we go get your luggage and we can head back to the house?"

* * *

Veronica sat rigidly in her seat and stared straight ahead through the windshield as she drove down the highway.

"Is everything all right?" Nana Hastings asked. "You seem a little distracted."

"I am." Veronica sighed as she glanced over at her mother-in-law. "I'm just really beside myself about this whole situation with Spencer and Emily and Peter. Spencer and Peter hardly speak to each other and when they do, they fight. I just don't know what to do. I can't stand the tension."

"How do you feel about Spencer's girlfriend?"

"I like Emily. She's polite and very respectful and she works hard. I wish she was just a little bit closer to Spencer's age, but she's never given me any reason not to like her so I can't really be too upset."

"And Peter's issue is with her age?"

"That has a lot to do with it. He really liked Emily as our architect, but as soon as he found out she and Spencer were having a relationship, everything changed. Now Peter refuses to even give Emily a chance. She's really trying with him and Spencer's having a hard time dealing with a long distance relationship. She asked to go to Texas over New Years to visit, I said yes, Peter said no. We're constantly at odds with each other and I just don't know how to fix things. I don't want to fight and I hate seeing Spencer and Peter argue, especially so close to the holidays."

"I can try talking to him. I mean, you've always been an excellent judge of character, if you see Emily as a good person, I don't know how she could be anything but that. I'm sure Peter's just being stubborn."

"Thank you. I'll take all the help I can get." Veronica said. "I just want my family back."

* * *

When they arrived back at the Hastings' house. Veronica noticed that there were two packages sitting on the front porch. Both boxes were white, one was square in shape and addressed to the Hastings, the other was rectangular and addressed to Spencer. Each box was tied with a red bow. Veronica picked up both boxes and walked into the house with Nana Hastings following behind.

"I wonder what this is." Veronica said untying the ribbon and opening the box.

Inside was a large vase with an assortment of various flowers, some were orange, some yellow, some red and a few were white. There was also a pick that read "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Who are those from?" Nana Hastings asked.

"I'm not sure." Veronica said as she took the small card out from amongst the flowers.

Veronica's eyes skimmed over the card which read:

"To The Hastings,

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Here's to wishing you and your loved ones a blessed and happy holiday.

Love,

Emily Fields"

"These are from Emily." Veronica said.

"How sweet is that?" Nana Hastings said.

"Very." Veronica smiled.

Veronica then walked over to the staircase.

"Spencer, come downstairs. You're grandmother is here and you have mail." Veronica called upstairs.

A minute later Spencer walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hi, mom. Hi, Nana." Spencer walked over to the kitchen island and gave her grandmother a hug.

"Spencer, honey, it's so good to see you." Nana Hastings said. "I can't believe how grown up you look. You're gorgeous."

"Thanks, Nana." Spencer smiled. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Where'd the flowers come from?" Spencer asked, noticing the arrangement next to her mother.

"Emily sent them to us for Thanksgiving." Veronica said. "And that's for you." Veronica pointed to the second box on the kitchen island.

Spencer pulled the ribbon from the box and lifted the lid up to find a dozen roses, which were an assortment of red, yellow, orange, white and pink. Spencer lifted the roses out of the box and immediately reached for the attached card, which she then read aloud.

"Spencer, this Thanksgiving you've given me so much to be thankful for. I feel so very blessed to be able to call such a beautiful, intelligent and sweet woman my girlfriend. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how lucky I am to have you in my life. I love you and I miss you every single day. X O X O. Love, Em."

By the time Spencer finished reading the card, she was smiling brightly.

"She certainly has a way with words, doesn't she?" Nana Hastings said. "No wonder you're so head over heels for this girl."

"She's great. Half the time I can't believe how sweet she is." Spencer held the roses up to her nose and inhaled the light, sweet scent of the flowers. "Do you wanna see a picture of her?"

"Of course." Nana Hastings smiled.

"Spencer, honey, do me a favor and make your grandmother some coffee, I have a few phone calls I need to return."

"Okay, mom."

Veronica then walked out of the room.

"So, let's see this girlfriend of yours."

Spencer pulled her phone out of her pocket, found a picture of she and Emily and handed the phone to her grandmother.

"She's definitely a looker and don't you two make the most adorable couple?"

"Thanks. I just wish she was here so you could meet her. I know you'll love her…too bad I can't say the same for my dad…"

"Your mother told me you and your father haven't exactly been getting along lately."

"No, we haven't." Spencer sighed. "Everyone else loves Emily, dad's the only one who doesn't. He got Emily this job in Texas without either of us knowing, just so he could keep her away from me. I found out what he did yesterday and we got into a fight and I haven't spoken to him since."

"Poor, baby." Nana Hastings ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. "You must miss her a lot."

"I do." Spencer nodded. "I feel like all this stuff with my dad is so much harder without Emily here to hug me and tell me everything's okay. We talk on the phone and we Skype and everything, but it's not the same."

"It's tough being away from the people you love. Believe me. I miss you and your sister all the time."

"We miss you too. I just don't get why dad has to make everything so hard. It's not like I wanna fight with him. I hate fighting with him, but I love Emily and I can't stand to see dad treat her the way that he does. She doesn't deserve it. I don't wanna have to pick between my dad and Emily. I just wanna love them both and have dad be happy that we're together. No matter what dad does to Emily, she never has anything bad to say about him. She's always pushing me to spend more time with my family…"

"That's what the holidays are for. On Thursday we'll all sit down together and have a great dinner, maybe that'll put your dad in a better mood. Just give me some time, I'll make sure I talk him and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Nana." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."


	58. Chapter 58

Once Spencer had made some coffee for her grandmother, she pulled her phone from her pocket and began typing a text to Emily.

Hey. Just got your roses. They're beautiful. Thank you.

After a few minutes Spencer received a reply.

You're welcome. :) did your family get the other arrangement I sent?

Yep. You're such a sweetheart. Thank you. Are you still at work?

Yeah. I'll be here for a couple of more hours at least. Did you need something?

Not really. I just want to hear your voice. That's all.

I promise I'll call you this evening when I get home from work.

Can't wait. Be careful driving home. Love you, Em.

I love you too. Talk to you later.

Spencer slipped her phone back into her pocket, when she turned around she was smiling brightly.

"Texting Emily?" Nana Hastings asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Honey, it's obvious. You've got a million-watt smile plastered across your face. Who else could possibly make you smile that much?"

"Emily just makes me really happy. I miss seeing her. When she worked here, I'd see her almost every day before school and when I'd get home from school...oh and I totally forgot to ask, what do you think of the kitchen?"

"It looks fantastic. Emily did all of the work?"

"Uh huh. She and her crew of three guys did it."

"They did a beautiful job. If Emily's ever looking for some work, feel free to send her down to Florida. My kitchen could use a little sprucing up."

"I'll let her know." Spencer laughed.

"Are you excited for Thanksgiving?"

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting all year for your amazing stuffing."

"Well, are you gonna help your old Nana make it?"

"Sure. I'd love to."

* * *

That evening when Peter returned home from work he walked into the living room where he saw his mother.

"Hi, mom." Peter walked over to the couch and hugged his mother. "Is Veronica here? She did get you at the airport, didn't she?"

"Yes. She just went to get her purse, we're heading to the grocery store for a few things."

"Oh. All right. Have you seen Spencer?"

"She was down here just a little bit ago, but she's up in her room, talking to her girlfriend."

"She just left you alone?" Peter then walked over to the staircase.

"Peter, it's fine. I think she just wanted a little privacy. Let her talk to Emily in peace. I'm perfectly capable of entertaining myself."

A minute later Veronica entered the room.

"I didn't know you were home." Veronica said, looking at her husband. "How was your meeting?"

"It was fine. I just walked in a minute ago."

"Well, we're on our way to the grocery store, do you need anything?"

"I don't think so."

"All right we'll be back shortly then." Veronica said.

* * *

Early the next evening when Emily returned home from work, she pulled her motorcycle into the driveway, turned off the engine and got off the bike. She removed her helmet as she walked to the front door. When she walked inside, Emily found her grandmother and her grandfather in the living room with her parents.

"Hi, honey." Pam said. "How was work?"

"It was fine, thanks. Hi, grandma. Hi, grandpa."

Both of Pam's parents stood up and walked over to their granddaughter. Emily's grandmother was relatively short in stature, she was tanned-skinned and had mainly gray hair, but a few wisps of black still remained visible. Pam looked very much like a younger version of her mother and it was easy for anyone to see the resemblance.

"Emily, sweetheart, look at you, you're absolutely beautiful." Emily's grandmother said as she wrapped her arms around the architect. "But, so skinny." She took a step back to look at her granddaughter. "What has your mother been feeding you since you've been home?"

"You think I'm too skinny?" Emily glanced downward and placed a hand on her own abdomen.

"Too skinny. That's non sense." Emily's grandfather chimed in. He was a tall and still very muscular man, despite his age. He had all white hair and was extremely fair skinned. He leaned forward and enveloped Emily in a bear-hug style embrace before stepping back and looking over his granddaughter head to toe. "You look great. Definitely fit and strong enough to join the Marines. What do you say kiddo? Have you thought about it? The Marines could certainly use an architect as talented as you are."

"Don't you dare consider it for a minute." Pam said. "No baby of mine is joining the military."

"I guess that's settled then." Emily laughed. "Sorry, grandpa. Mom says no."

"No surprise there…you still have that Ninja?" Emily's grandfather asked, noticing that Emily was still holding her motorcycle helmet.

"Sure do. I've been riding it to work a lot."

"I bet the girls love it." Emily's grandfather smiled. "So…you got yourself a girlfriend?"

"I do, actually." Emily nodded. "I met her when I started working on a project for her parents a few months ago."

"In Pennsylvania?" Emily's grandmother asked.

"Uh huh."

"I'm certainly glad that you're dating again. I just hope this girl isn't some gold digging hussy, like the last one."

"I'm pretty sure no one uses the term hussy anymore, grandma." Emily laughed. "But, Spencer's nothing like Stephanie."

"Good...I just don't want to see another girl take advantage of your kindness."

"Spencer would never take advantage me. I finally feel like I've met someone who cares about me just as much as I care about her and it feels really, really good."

"That's wonderful, honey. I'm so happy for you. Now...are you two living together?"

"Oh, no, no, no." Emily answered quickly. "I live by myself and Spencer lives with her parents."

"Okay. Just checking." Emily's grandmother said.

"So, is Spencer in college or what does she do?" Pam's father looked over at Emily.

"She'll be going to college next year. She's a senior in high school."

"I assume she's at least eighteen."

"Yes, sir. Of course." Emily nodded, looking her grandfather straight in the eyes.

"Good, good." Emily's grandfather smiled.

"Emily, honey, are you hungry?" Pam asked.

"Yeah, I could eat."

"I'm going to get dinner started, then."

"Can I help?" Emily asked.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, your mother and I will take care of it." Emily's grandmother said. "You just relax. I'm sure you worked hard today."

"Thanks, grandma." Emily smiled.

"Why don't you come sit down with your dad and I?" Emily's grandfather said.

Emily set her motorcycle helmet down on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch in between her father and grandfather.

"So, why don't you tell me about your new job?" Pam's father placed his hand on his granddaughter's knee.

"Well...it's been great so far. I mean it's been pretty challenging for me. I've never worked on such a large project, but I'm really enjoying it a lot."

"Do you get to see your dad on the base?"

"Sometimes. If he's not busy, some days he brings me lunch to my office." Emily smiled at her father.

"That's great. How are your plans coming along?"

"Pretty well. I've been making a lot of progress with them. I really love the drawing and drafting part of my job, but I can't wait to actually get out on the job site and start building."

"Such a strong work ethic. That's what I like to see. You certainly raised this one right, Wayne."

"Thank you." Wayne said. "Emmy really is a good kid. I'm so proud of her."

* * *

It was late on Thursday morning when Spencer walked downstairs to the kitchen, where her mother, sister and grandmother were working to prepare the Thanksgiving meal.

"Spencer, could you go into the dining room and set the table, please?" Veronica asked.

"Sure, mom."

"Thank you, honey. Make sure you use the good china." Veronica said.

"Why don't you take these." Nana Hastings said as she picked up the flower arrangement Emily had sent. "And set them out on the table, we can use it as a center piece."

"Okay." Spencer smiled as she took the flowers and walked out of the room.

"Where'd the flowers come from?" Melissa asked.

"Emily sent them to us a couple of days ago." Veronica said.

"Emily sent us flowers? That was really nice of her." Melissa said.

"Yes, it was." Veronica smiled. "She's so thoughtful. It's really too bad that she's stuck in Texas, otherwise I would have invited her to have dinner with us."

"Spencer would have loved that." Melissa said.

"I really can't wait to meet this girl." Nana Hastings said. "I've heard so many nice things and Spencer's obviously crazy about her."

"You'll get to meet her at my wedding. It's only a few months away."

"Who are you going to meet at the wedding?" Peter asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Emily." Melissa said, looking up at her father.

"You invited her to the wedding?" Peter's tone was less than enthusiastic.

"Of course I did." Melissa said. "She's Spencer's girlfriend and I happen to like her, besides it's my wedding, so I get to decide the guest list."

"As long as I'm paying for this wedding, I'll have a say in who shows up." Peter said. "If she knows what's good for her, she won't be there."

At that moment, Veronica turned around to see Spencer standing in the doorway, having heard the exchange.

"You know, all of a sudden, I'm not really in the Thanksgiving mood. I'll be in my room." Spencer then turned and headed toward the staircase.

"Honey, wait." Veronica said, following after her daughter.

"I'll go talk to her, mom." Melissa shot her father a cold glare on her way out of the room.

"Why do you have to do this to her every time?" Veronica sighed, as she looked at her husband. "She was in a good mood and you had to go and ruin that."

"Today of all days would have been the perfect opportunity to show your daughter the tiniest bit of acceptance." Nana Hastings frowned at her son in disappointment. "And you couldn't even do that much for her. I could just smack you right now."

"Mom, don't get involved with this." Peter said, dismissively.

"Peter, I was involved the minute I found out that my grand baby was hurting. And believe me, you and I will be having a talk about this."

"That's unnecessary. I've made up my mind and dealt with the situation accordingly."

As Peter finished speaking, everyone in the kitchen heard the doorbell ring.

"That must be Dan." Peter said as he walked out of the kitchen to answer the door.

* * *

"Spence. Why don't you come back downstairs?" Melissa said as she sat down on the bed next to her younger sister. "Uncle Dan should be here any minute and it won't be long before it's time to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Aw, come on, you love turkey and I know Nana's stuffing is your favorite. You eat a mountain of it every Thanksgiving."

"I'm just not feeling very thankful…"

"Listen, I know things are pretty messy with dad right now and obviously I don't agree with him at all about Emily, but at least you've got mom, nana and I to back you up and Emily loves you. That's something to be thankful for. Everything's gonna work out."

"When? Everyone keeps telling me dad will come around, but when will he? Things just seem to get worse every day. When will it get better?"

"I wish I knew, Spence. Just hang in there."

"Thanks for sticking up for Emily and I."

"What are big sisters for? Now, I gotta go downstairs and finish helping mom with the pies. I think everyone would really like it if you came downstairs too."

"I think I'm just gonna stay up here. I really don't feel like being in the same room with dad."

"Well, I can't force you to come downstairs, but at least think about it." Melissa then stood up and walked out of the room.

"Well?" Veronica said as Melissa walked back into the kitchen.

"She doesn't want to come down. She doesn't want to be anywhere near dad."

"I just don't understand what more your father could possibly want from Emily?" Veronica said. "I feel like Emily's the kind of person you can actually trust and feel comfortable with dating your daughter."

"You can." Melissa nodded. "Dad just needs to let go of this ridiculous macho attitude. He was never this bad with any of my boyfriends. I don't understand why he's so hard on poor Emily."

"After the holiday, he and I are going to have a little mother to son chat." Nana Hastings said. "We'll see if I can talk some sense into him."

* * *

A little later that afternoon, Spencer was sitting on her bed, staring at a photo of Emily when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Spencer called out.

The door then opened and Spencer's twenty-something year old cousins Bridget, a tall blonde and Casey, a relatively short brunette entered the room.

"Hey, guys." Spencer said. "Did you just get here?"

"We've been here for a little while, your mom said you wouldn't come downstairs, so we thought we'd come up here to see you." Bridget said.

"Thanks, but I just kinda wanna be alone. I'm not really feeling this whole Thanksgiving thing."

"I understand. Your mom told us about your dad and your girlfriend." Bridget said.

"She did?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah." Casey chimed in. "And for what it's worth, I think that was a total dick move on your dad's part to get your girlfriend a job so far away. Uncle Peter can be such an ass sometimes...must be a dad thing. My dad's been pretty jerky to a lot boyfriends and a few of my girlfriends too."

"You've had girlfriends?" Spencer asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I haven't really settled on a team yet." Casey said nonchalantly as she walked across the room and took the photo that Spencer was holding.

"This your girlfriend?" Casey asked.

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded. "That's Emily."

"She's hot. Not a bad bod either...I'd hit it."

"Thanks for sharing." Bridget said sarcastically.

"What? I'm just saying. Oh and Spence, just so you know, I'm officially calling at least one dance with your girlfriend at Melissa's wedding."

"I don't know if I should be flattered or offended at that." Spencer laughed a little.

"With Casey, it's hard to tell." Bridget laughed and rolled her eyes. "So, your mom said Emily's an architect?"

"Yep. She has her own business and everything."

"Sssooo...let me get this straight…she's hella sexy and has a successful career?" Casey said. "I'm not sure I understand why your dad's so down on her. He catch her fuckin' you on the couch or something?"

"No. He doesn't even know that we've had sex. As far as my dad is concerned, I'm still a virgin."

"So naïve." Casey laughed. "Dads are clueless. It's not like you've never done it before."

"Well...actually, Emily was my first. I always told myself that I wanted to wait until I was in love and with Emily I finally felt it."

"That's sweet." Bridget said.

"She's been so sweet to me since the day we met, but Dad doesn't want me to be with her because he's convinced that's she's too old for me and she'll only use me for sex. And he's pissed off that we didn't tell him we were dating while she was working here."

"He needs to get over himself and stop acting like such a doucher." Casey said. "Why does he care so much who you date?"

"I don't know. I just wish he'd change his mind already. That's all I really want."

* * *

"Spencer, honey, won't you please come downstairs and eat with us?" Nana Hastings said from the outside of Spencer's closed bedroom door.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry." Spencer called out.

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Nana Hastings said as she opened the door and stepped inside with a plate full of food in her hand. "But, you're a bad liar. I know you're probably starving."

Nana Hastings walked over to the bed as Spencer's stomach growled audibly.

"Who knows you better than your Nana?" Spencer's grandmother laughed. "You're so stubborn, just like your father." She handed Spencer the plate. "Here, eat."

"Thanks, Nana."

"You're welcome, baby." Spencer's grandmother reached up and ran her fingers through her granddaughter's hair. "Are you sure you don't want to come downstairs? Your aunt and uncle would really like to see you."

"I guess I could come down and say hi, but that's it. Just for a minute."

* * *

The next evening, Nana Hastings knocked on the door to her son's office before stepping inside.

"You know, I'm leaving tomorrow morning and we have yet to discuss the situation between you and Spencer."

"I told you before, there's nothing to discuss."

"Peter, what exactly is your hang up with Spencer dating this girl? Are you angry that Spencer is gay? Let me tell you right now, that better not be the issue here, I raised you better than that…"

"It has nothing to do with Spencer being gay at all." Peter said calmly. "She's too young to be dating a twenty three year old. She's just barely eighteen."

"Peter, if Spencer was an eighteen year old boy dating a twenty three year old woman, you'd be praising her and everything would be fine. Just relax a little, don't you remember what it was like to be her age?"

"Of course I do. I was busy studying and preparing for college. Spencer should be doing the same."

"Life doesn't have to be all work all the time. Let her be a teenager. She's allowed to have a social life. She's old enough to date."

"I don't have an issue with her dating, it's with who she's dating. She and Emily are at two completely different points in their lives. Emily is a grown adult with a full time job. Spencer still has her whole college career ahead of her. I don't want her getting sidetracked and forgetting all about school because she's too involved with this woman. I don't want her decisions to be influenced by whatever her girlfriend might be doing."

"Spencer won't forget about school. You and Veronica raised her to be an intelligent, independent young woman. She knows her education is important and I think you already know that, what really bothers you about her relationship with Emily? Veronica seems to like the girl and she said you liked her a lot until you found out she and Spencer had been seeing each other."

"I don't know how Veronica has been okay with this. Emily's experienced in ways that Spencer isn't. She's been through college, She's been on her own, she works for a living. She has life experience that Spencer doesn't. I just don't want to see Spencer get hurt."

"I think it's wonderful that you want to protect her, but you can't shelter her forever. Maybe she and Emily are meant to be together and maybe they aren't, but that's something that she needs to figure out for herself. You don't have to worry so much, she's got your stubbornness and hard head. She'll be just fine, despite anything that may happen between she and Emily. Don't make her choose between her father and her girlfriend. It's not fair and it's a battle you'll lose from the get go, she'll only end up resenting you in the end."

"I never said I was making her choose."

"You don't have to say it in that many words, it's how she feels. Your actions speak louder than any ultimatum you could possibly give. Melissa said you've never been this hard on any of her boyfriends, so why are you giving Spencer's girlfriend such a tough time?"

"Melissa isn't Spencer...they're different." Peter hesitated a little. "It's complicated."

"Oh I don't think it's nearly as complicated as you're making it out to be. Peter, I know you love both of your kids, but you've always had a certain special connection with Spencer. She's your youngest baby girl. Are you worried that Emily's taking her away from you? Is that why you want her out of the picture so badly?"

Peter didn't speak, but only hung his head, giving his mother all of the reason she needed to confirm her suspicions.

"Now we're finally getting somewhere." Nana Hastings said. "I promise you that no matter who Spencer chooses love, it doesn't mean that she'll stop loving you too."

"I just…don't like how serious she is with Emily, they're moving too fast…when I first found out that they were together, they'd only been dating for a short time and already Spencer was throwing around the "L" word…"

"Honey, just because you're not ready for Spencer to have her first real relationship, doesn't mean she isn't ready. I know it's hard to watch your children grow up, but you have to let them. And I understand why you're a little wary of Spencer dating someone who's older and more experienced, you're her father, I'd be willing to bet that you'd be skeptical of just about anyone she brought home. I can see why you might think the relationship as unethical, but sometimes we find love in the place we least expect it. You can't control who Spencer falls in love with, but you can control how you treat and relate to your daughter. Just try to trust Spencer's judgment a little more. If she loves this girl, she obviously sees a lot in her. I, personally just hope that Spencer finds a woman as wonderful as you did and maybe she already has?"

"They still lied to me. They snuck around behind my back. Am I just supposed to dismiss that altogether? I trusted Emily."

"It's normal for you to feel angry and probably betrayed. I'm not saying you should just forget about that, but at least give Emily the chance to regain your trust. If she's willing to work for your approval, then she's probably a keeper."

"I don't know. I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with this whole relationship."

"You don't have to make Emily your new best friend, but you shouldn't write her off just because her relationship with Spencer began somewhat unconventionally. You might be missing out on getting to know a really good person…I know you probably wont change your mind over night, but just think everything through. Showing just a little tolerance would mean everything to Spencer."

* * *

Early the next evening, Veronica walked upstairs to Spencer's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Spencer called out.

"Hi, honey, you have some mail." Veronica handed a letter to Spencer. "It's from Emily."

"Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome. Are you going out tonight?"

"Sort of. I'm going over to Emily's apartment. We're having a Skype date. We're gonna have dinner together and then probably just talk for a while, so I'll be home later."

"A Skype date. That's such a cute idea. Have a good night, honey and tell Emily that I said hello."

"I will. Thanks."

Veronica smiled at her daughter before exiting the room. Spencer then tore the envelope open and removed the paper inside. She glanced at the top corner of the stationary, which had Emily's name printed on it, but everything else was written in Emily's small, angular, scribbled handwriting.

Spencer,

I know it hasn't been long since I've been in Texas, but I miss you so, so much. I want you to know that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I left. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep at night. It's lonely here without you. I miss being able to see your beautiful face in person every single day. I miss being able to kiss you and hold you in my arms. One of my favorite things is having my arms wrapped around you while you drift off to sleep with your head on my chest. Since I've been gone, I've been thinking a lot about us. I feel like we've been apart for months. Sometimes when I'm feeling exceptionally lonely, I'll think about our first kiss and how amazing your lips felt on mine. If I could, I'd spend every hour, every minute, every second kissing those lips. I've also been thinking a lot about the first night we made love. It was one of the best nights of my entire life, I wish I could wake up next to you every morning. You know, Spence, I've never felt for anyone the way I do for you. I honestly thought I knew what it felt like to love someone, but I've come to realize that I never really understood love until I met you. You've been so patient, kind, understanding and above all, loving with me. I really needed you in my life and I hope you know that I appreciate you more than any words could ever possibly say. I'm sorry this is only the first letter I've written you and I'm sorry that I'm not always very good at expressing my emotions, but I love you so much and I can't wait until you come to visit me. December 29th just can't come soon enough for me, I'm trying my best to be patient, but it isn't easy. I can't wait until I can pick you up at the airport and bring you home to meet my parents. For once in my life, I finally feel like things are looking up for me and that's all because of you. I don't know what I ever did to deserve a person as special as you are, but I'm so happy that we found each other. I'll see you soon. I love you.

Love always,

Emily XOXO

Once Spencer had finished the letter, she folded it back up and clutched it to her chest for a few long moments as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

* * *

Later that evening, Spencer headed over to Emily's apartment after stopping to pick up some Chinese food on the way. She pulled the key Emily had given her out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Spencer slipped Emily's jacket off of her shoulders and hung it up on the hook next to the door. She then walked into the kitchen, took a plate from one of the cabinets and emptied her take out containers on to it. Spencer took her plate into the living room and set it down on Emily's computer desk, before turning the computer on. She then sent a Skype request to Emily at exactly eight o'clock, which was answered in a matter of less than a minute as Emily's image materialized on the screen.

"Hey, Spence." Emily smiled. "Right on time."

"Eight sharp my time, seven yours, just like we said."

"Perfectly punctual, as always. I like that in a woman." Emily chuckled a little.

"What can I say? I don't like to keep my girl waiting…so, is that a new shirt?" Spencer asked, referencing Emily's deep purple colored button down shirt.

"Yeah. My mom got it for me, but I'm not sure how I feel about the color. It's technically called eggplant, but I don't know, it looks pretty purple to me."

"I like it. Purple's a nice color on you. It looks almost as sexy as pink does on you."

"Well, I don't know about that, but thanks." Emily smiled brightly.

"Just do me a favor and undo a couple of the top buttons." Spencer said. "I like it better when you leave your shirt open a little."

"Um, okay." Emily smirked a little as she unbuttoned the first two buttons on her shirt.

"There you go, that's a lot better."

"What ever makes you happy." Emily smiled. "Hey, can you hold on one second, I need to go grab a drink."

"Sure."

After only a few moments Emily retuned back to the computer screen.

"So, what are you having for dinner tonight?" Spencer said as she pulled apart her chopsticks. "Did you cook?"

"Nah. I stopped off for some Chinese food on the way home. I was running kind of late and I didn't really feel like cooking."

"I got Chinese too. For some reason I had a craving for it."

"Greats minds think alike, I guess." Emily said before taking a sip from her water glass.

"That and we're just so in tune with each other that we think alike."

"That's definitely true. I see you're at my apartment. How's everything there?"

"Good. I've slept over here a few times since you left…I hope you don't mind."

"Spence, I've told you, my place is your place. You can sleep there whenever you want. I just wish that I could be there in bed with you."

"Me too. It's definitely nowhere near the same as having you here, but at least sleeping in your bed helps me feel a little closer to you. I wear your jacket a lot too."

"I'm glad it's getting some use."

"Oh, hey Em, I wanted to tell you, I got your letter today."

"You, did? Could you read it all right? I know I don't have the best handwriting..."

"You have guy handwriting."

"What's guy handwriting?" Emily asked.

"Like really small and kinda scribbly, but don't worry, I could read it just fine and everything you said was so sweet. It actually made me cry."

"I meant every word of it, Spence. You know I sometimes have a tough time showing emotion, but for some reason, it's easier writing down how I feel."

"Emily, you've really opened up a lot to me and I love that. Your sensitive side has really been showing up a lot more lately."

"It's a lot easier for me to open up to you. I feel really comfortable with you and can I just tell you that as hard as it's been being away from you, it's so nice to know that I can trust you. It's nice to have some peace of mind. The last time I was away from a girlfriend, it was only for a weekend, but I got cheated on and she got pregnant. I'm just so happy to know that I don't have to worry about anything like that with you."

"And I'm glad to know that I don't have to have those worries either."

"No you don't. I know how much it hurts to be cheated on, I'd never do that to someone, especially you. You've been so amazing with me. I've never had a long distance relationship before, so this is all new to me too. It's hard, but I think we're doing a pretty good job."

"So do I and I'll get to start off the new year kissing you at midnight, so at least I get to look forward to that." Spencer smiled as she lifted a piece of chicken to her mouth, using her chopsticks. "What did you have in mind for New Years anyway?"

"Well, I definitely want to take you out for a nice dinner, but other than that, I don't really know. We can go to a party or we can just hang out at my place. It doesn't really matter to me. As long as we're together, I'll be happy."

"Me too and I guess we have some time to decide."

"So, did your nana make it back to Florida okay?"

"Yeah, she got home a little while ago."

"That's good. I'm sorry we didn't really have much of a chance to talk these last couple of days."

"It's okay. I know you've been busy with work and having your grandparents in town. Are your grandparents still at your house?"

"No, they headed home last night, but not before my grandpa tried to get me to join the Marines for at least the third time since they got to my house."

"You did say no, right?"

"My mom said no before I even had the chance to talk." Emily laughed.

"Good. You're never allowed to join the military, no matter how sexy you'd look in the uniform."

"Wait…you think I'd look sexy in uniform?" Emily smirked.

"Uh, yeah. Are you kidding? But, still don't do it."

"Don't worry, Spence, I like how my job is now, I'm not really interested in a military career. I mean this job is an amazing opportunity for me, but I really like working on a little smaller scale and being my own boss. Besides, I could never choose between the Army or the Marines, I wouldn't want to disappoint my dad or my grandpa."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'd worry about you way too much if you had to go overseas…so how's work going for you, anyway?"

"Pretty well. I actually just met some of the construction crew this afternoon."

"Are you guys going to be starting the actual building soon?"

"Fairly soon. I've still got some work left to do on the plans before we'll make the actual blue prints, but everything's moving forward."

"Have I told you lately that I'm really proud of you?"

"Thanks." Emily stared at Spencer's image on the screen.

"Oh, I almost forgot, my mom told me to tell you hello."

"Make sure you tell her I said hello and that I hope she's doing well. The same goes for your dad. I hope he's doing well too."

"I'll tell them both you asked about them. Thanks for trying so hard with my parents. It really means a lot to me."

"I'm always gonna try with them. I love their daughter, not trying isn't a choice."

"You're sweet. I love you, Em."

"I love you too, Spence."

 


	59. Chapter 59

Later that night.

Peter walked out of his office and into the kitchen where his wife was sitting reading the newspaper.

"Is Spencer home?" Peter asked.

"No, she went over to Emily's apartment." Veronica looked up.

"Why? It's not like Emily's there…"

"No, but it's familiar to her. I'm sure spending time there helps her deal with Emily being so far away. She and Emily were having a Skype date tonight and she probably just wanted a little privacy, she hasn't had much since you've been breathing down her neck."

"Well, when is she coming home?"

"I don't know. I didn't give her a curfew, why?"

"It's just that, it's been snowing a lot tonight and the roads are getting bad…I'm going to call her." Peter pulled his phone from his shirt pocket.

Spencer was still sitting at Emily's desk, talking to her girlfriend when her phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to see that the call was from her father.

"Hey, Em, can you hold on a minute? My dad's calling, let me see what he wants."

"Sure." Emily nodded.

"Hello?" Spencer said unenthusiastically.

"Spencer, where are you?" Peter asked.

"I'm at Emily's apartment and before you yell at me, I know it's late. I'll be home soon. You can save the lecture." Spencer said defensively.

"I wasn't planning on giving you a lecture. It's just snowing pretty bad out there and I don't want you driving in it. I'll come pick you up. Where is Emily's apartment?"

"It's snowing?" Spencer got up and looked out the window to find multiple inches of snow accumulated all over the parking lot and cars of Emily's building.

"I'll just sleep here tonight. You don't have to come get me."

"That would be okay with Emily?"

"I don't see why not. I've slept over here a few times since she left. She told me I could. She gave me a key."

"All right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Okay."

"Good night."

"Night."

Spencer then ended the call and walked back over to the computer.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. I didn't even notice, but it snowed a lot since I've been here, my dad wanted to come get me."

"Can you just stay at my place? You don't need to be driving in the snow and neither does your father."

"Thanks, Em. I told him I'd sleep here, he wanted to know if that was okay with you."

"Of course it is, but I have to say, I'm surprised that your dad actually asked my opinion...it's probably only okay with him because I'm not there though."

"Maybe, but that was the first conversation we've had that involved you that didn't end in us arguing or yelling. At least that's a plus."

"I'll take it." Emily smiled.

"So, do you mind if I borrow something to sleep in?" Spencer asked.

"Not at all. Take anything you want. But, don't feel obligated to wear clothes. I'm perfectly okay with you sleeping naked in my bed. In fact, I encourage it." Emily laughed.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Spencer smirked. "But then you were here with me, so it's not like it'd be the same...hey, Em?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking...your mom's a housewife..."

"Yeah, she is."

"Well, um, will she be home like the entire time I'm staying with you? Not to sound rude or disrespectful or ungrateful, but I'm really hoping to get some alone time with you. Like truly alone, so that we can maybe, you know..."

"I was hoping for the same thing." Emily smiled. "It's been weeks since I've even gotten to kiss you. I need some time to make up for that."

"So, what do we do? We only have a few days together. You'll be working during the day and your parents will be home in the evenings, right?"

"Probably. Maybe I can convince them to go out to dinner some night or something."

"That would be great. I mean, please don't think that I don't want to spend time with your parents, I really do, it's just that..."

"I know what you mean. I want you to spend some time with my parents, but I really wanna spend some time alone with you too. I think having my parents out of the house is about our only option, my mom doesn't always knock on my door before coming into the room, so things could get awkward."

"Oh God, I think I'd die if your mom walked in on us in bed together. That's definitely not the impression I want to make. I don't want her to think I'm just some slut, who's only interested in sleeping with her daughter."

"She won't think that. And by the way, you and the term slut are never to be used anywhere in the vicinity of one another. You're no such thing and anyone who ever says or implies otherwise is gonna have to deal with me and it won't be pretty."

"Aw. You're so cute."

"No, it's just that, as your girlfriend, it's my job to always defend your honor, even from you. Spencer, you were strong enough to resist all of the temptation and peer pressure your whole life. That's amazing and you picked me to be your first. You know, I used to be pretty clueless about stuff like that, but after having made love with someone who I truly and honestly love and who I feel loves me back in the same way, I finally realize how special and important first times can be. When I wrote in that letter that I've been thinking a lot about our first night together, I was being sincere."

"How long until I get to come see you again?"

"Let me check...um...let's see…about...twenty nine days...sixteen hours...twelve minutes and some seconds until your plane lands in Killeen, where I'll be anxiously waiting for you."

"Aw. You actually just did the math?"

"Uh huh. Can I tell you a secret?"

"A secret? Sure..."

"Okay, well, I have this calendar hanging up in my room and every morning when I get out of bed, before I do anything else, I walk over to that calendar and I look at it. It has puppies on it so I get distracted for a minute by how cute they are." Emily chuckled. "But after that, I grab a pen, cross off another day and I think to myself, I'm one day closer to being with you. I haven't missed a single day."

"Oh my God. You are literally the cutest, sweetest thing ever." Spencer closed her eyes and blinked away a few tears. "How is it possible that you're a thousand miles away, but I feel like this is one of the best dates we've ever had?"

"I don't know, but I feel the same way."

* * *

Later the next afternoon, once all of the snow had been cleared from the roads, Spencer got ready to leave Emily's apartment. She turned out all of the lights and walked over to the door. She picked up the architect's jacket, slipped it on and zipped it up before heading out the door to her car.

When Spencer arrived home, she found her father in the living room, watching a football game.

"Spencer."

"Where's everyone else?" Spencer asked as she took Emily's coat off and hung it up.

"They all went to the club for lunch."

"Well...why didn't you go with them?"

"I wanted to be here when you got home, I want to talk to you." Peter stood up.

"About..."

"About Emily."

"Listen dad, I don't wanna fight about Emily anymore. I've already told you a million times, there's nothing you can do to change the way I feel about her. So can we just skip the argument?"

"Spencer. Do you think I like fighting with you?"

"It seems like it."

"I don't. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past couple of days...and maybe I overreacted a little to this whole Emily situation."

"A little? Dad, you've been awful. You've bullied Emily, you've treated her like she's worthless and you sent her a thousand miles away just to keep us apart. That's overreacting a little?"

"I was angry and I still think rightfully so. You and Emily weren't honest with your mother and I from the start."

"I know. And I feel bad about that, everything just happened so fast, I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want Emily to lose her job. We both hated sneaking around, Emily especially, but it's not like that matters. You got your way, just like you always do. Now, the only way we can see each other is on the computer screen."

"Spencer, you have to understand that as your father, I did what I did because I was trying to protect you. I don't want to see you get hurt. Emily's older and mature, she has a lot more experience in the real world than you do."

"There's nothing to protect me from. Emily didn't do anything wrong. All she's ever done is be kind and sweet to me and what really hurts me is seeing you treat her the way that you have." A few tears began to well up in Spencer's eyes. "She doesn't deserve any of it. She's tried so hard with you and you haven't even given her a chance. I don't need you to protect me from anyone. I can take care of myself. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"I know you're not..." Peter sighed heavily as he sat down on the couch. "I'm trying to get used to that, but it's hard, Spencer, you're my youngest daughter...How can I just sit by and watch this girl take you away?"

"Wait…you think Emily's trying to take me away from you? That couldn't be further from the truth."

"Spencer…"

"For once, just listen to me for a minute." Spencer interrupted her father. "Emily's always pushing me to be closer to you, even after the way you've mistreated her. She's never once had a negative thing to say about you, she doesn't even blame you for how you've acted. Honestly, sometimes it bothers me how respectful she is toward you because I don't feel like you really deserve it. You say you're concerned because you don't want me to get hurt, but Emily's not the one hurting me, dad…"

Spencer walked over to the couch and sat down next to her father.

"Just because I'm not a little kid anymore doesn't mean I don't still need you, but I don't need you to worry so much about me. I'm not picking Emily over you, you don't have to compete with her. I love you both, and no matter what happens between Emily and I, I'm always gonna need my dad."

"You're just so young to be this seriously involved with someone...you've got the rest of your senior year to think about and college next year. You have a lot to do…I don't want you to get distracted…"

"I won't. Dating Emily won't stop me from going to college. Just looking at all of things she's done makes me want to go college even more, so I can hopefully someday turn out just as successful as she has."

"I'm…glad to hear that." Peter said.

"Emily's a big part of my life now, but she isn't my whole life. I know that you don't like that she's older and I'm not asking you to fully understand our relationship right now, but I am asking you to at least try to accept Emily as my girlfriend. She deserves respect."

Spencer shifted her gaze to look up into her father's eyes.

"Emily has a good heart. She's kind and polite and really, really sweet. It's just all the little things she does for me…like when we go out together, she holds my hand and opens doors for me. She pulls my chair out at restaurants, she refuses to let me pay for dinner, she sends me flowers for no reason, she listens, she always gives me her complete undivided attention, she always offers me her jacket when it's cold outside and at the end of the day when she kisses me goodnight I always feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I've never known anyone like her, ever since the first time we met, I just knew there was something special about her. I can't really explain it, but I know if you'd just give her a chance and get to know her, you'd see it too."

Peter took a few long moments to let everything Spencer had said sink in.

"I guess…I haven't exactly been very fair to either of you."

"Not at all…and forcing us into a long distance relationship...I just don't understand how you could do that to me…"

"I admit that I wasn't in the best state of mind when I gave Emily that business reference." Peter sighed. "But, everything that I said and wrote in that letter was true. I think Emily is a great architect, she has a lot of talent and I think she deserves the job she was offered."

"Do you really mean that?" Spencer smiled brightly.

"Yes, I do." Peter nodded. "But…I realize that I helped her get the job for all the wrong reasons…I was…wrong…and…I'm sorry…"

Spencer swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Did her father actually just apologize? She was certain that he had never apologized for anything in his entire life and certainly not to her.

"Thank you for being sorry…I wish I could just say it's okay and have everything be better between us, but it's not that easy…you really hurt me, dad…like a lot and I think it'll take some time before I can I really, honestly forgive what you did, but I want to work things out…"

"So do I, Spence." Peter reached over and placed his hand on his daughter's knee. "Believe me, I do."

* * *

Three weeks later.

"Morning, gorgeous." Emily said as her image appeared on the screen of Spencer's phone.

"Morning, Em." Spencer smiled. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I've been up for a little while now. I'm just having some coffee. You excited for your Washington trip?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I've been to D.C. The school got us a tour of the White House."

"Cool. Will you get to meet the President?"

"I doubt he'll be there, but we might get to meet some other officials."

A moment later Peter knocked on the doorframe of Spencer's bedroom before entering the room.

"Hey, Spence, you about ready to go? Your train leaves in less than an hour."

"Yeah, dad, I'll be ready in just a minute."

"Okay. Is this the only suitcase you're taking?" Peter motioned to the suitcase near the door.

"Yeah. That's it."

"All right, I'll take it to the car. Come down when you're ready."

"Okay. Thanks, dad."

Peter then picked up Spencer's suitcase and headed out of the room.

Spencer then focused her attention back to her phone.

"How are things going between you and your dad?" Emily asked.

"Things are okay. We're slowly making progress. I think it gets a little better every day."

"I'm really glad to hear that. That's great, but, I should, uh, let you go. I don't want you to miss your train."

"Text me on your lunch break?"

"You bet. I can't believe I get to see you in just three days…granted these will probably be three of the longest days of my life…"

"Mine too. You have no idea."

"At least you have your trip and I have work to keep me busy. The work days go by so much faster now that we've actually started construction."

"Work hard, but be careful. You know it makes me nervous having you around all of that heavy machinery."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Have a safe trip. I love you." Emily smiled.

"I love you too. Have a good day."

"Thanks. You too, babe. Talk to ya later."

"Bye, Em."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Emily was having lunch with a few of the construction crew members. She sat down next to Mr. Williams' son, Mark, who was one of the contractors as well as the master electrician on the site.

"Emily, you have any plans for tonight?" Mark asked.

"Not really. Why, what's up?"

"Me and a few of the boys were gonna hit up the bar for some wings and beers after work. You should come hang."

"Oh well, I don't know…"

"Come on. It'll be fun. We'll have a few beers, watch a hockey game and just unwind a little. I think your Flyers are playing tonight."

"Well…let me check with my girlfriend, if it's cool with her…"

"You have to ask your girlfriend for permission?" One of the other crew members asked. "How whipped are you, bro?"

"I'm not whipped." Emily took a sip from her water bottle. "I just care about her opinion. That's all."

"Seriously, dude. Some people actually respect their ladies." Mark said. "That's probably why Emily's got one and you don't."

"Need a little ice for that burn, bro?" One of the men laughed, looking over at his co worker.

Emily chuckled a little as she took another sip of water.

"You guys think that super hot bartender will be working tonight?" One of the other men asked.

"Which bartender?" Mark asked.

"That blonde. Her name's like Samantha or Sadie or something, I think." A man with shaggy black hair and a scruffy beard said. "I can't remember, I was too busy checking out her rack."

Emily just rolled her eyes as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and began typing a message to Spencer.

Hey. You make it to Washington yet?

Hey! We're at the hotel now, we're getting ready to head over to the White House.

Awesome. I hope you have a good time. :) I wanted to ask you, a few of the construction guys invited me out to the bar to watch some hockey and have a couple beers. Do you mind if I go?

You're asking my permission?

Well, yeah…if you don't want me to, I won't.

You're too cute. :D Will there be strippers at this bar?

Of course not. It's a sports bar. I used to go with my dad before I moved. I'd never go to a strip club with my dad.

Haha that'd be quite some father-daughter bonding.

Um, awkward…and my mom would kill my dad and I if we ever went to a strip club and she found out. But, anyway, you don't have anything to worry about, I don't need or want to see any strippers, you're the only girl I'm interested in seeing naked.

Good. Because I feel the same way about you and you know…I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of getting a strip tease from you. I'd totally stuff your G-string full of dollars. ;)

OMG. I'm like blushing hardcore right now…btw I don't own a G-string.

Hahaha I'll get you one. ;) Have fun watching the game tonight, just don't get too drunk.

Thanks. And I won't. Just two, three beers max. That won't even get me tipsy.

Okay. Good.

Call me later tonight. I want to hear all about your White House tour. :)

Okay. Have a good rest of the day. Love you.

Love you too. XOXO

"So, what did your girlfriend say?" One of the workers asked.

"She's cool with me going out."

"Awesome." Mark said.

Later that evening.

"Man, the Flyers are totally dominating this game." One of the guys said.

"Of course they are." Emily smirked as she stared up at the television screen.

"Where the fuck have you been?" The man to Emily's left asked as another one of the workers approached the table after having been gone for a good twenty minutes.

"I went to take a leak and on the way back, I saw that hot ass bartender I was talking about. So I talked to her."

"You ask her out or what?" Emily asked.

"Nah, I think I need a wingman to kinda talk me up a little bit. What do you say, Emily? You're a girl, you should be good at talking to other girls. You willing to help a brother out?"

"I'll give it a shot. I'll go get us some more beers. And I admit, I'm kinda interested in seeing this girl who's apparently 'so hot,'" Emily made air quotes.

"She is. Now go."

"Hold up, how will I know which one she is?"

"She's the only chick working the downstairs bar tonight. You can't miss her."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Emily stood up and slowly made her way through the fairly large crowd. She walked down the stairs and spotted the only female bartender, who was turned around reaching for a bottle of liquor. Emily stepped up to the bar and waited. After a few moments, the bartender turned around and locked eyes with Emily.

"Em?" The bartender said.

Emily's eyes grew wide and her jaw practically dropped to the floor in complete surprise. She swallowed the lump in her throat before forcing herself to speak.

"Stephanie?"


	60. Chapter 60

Emily rolled over in bed, as she heard soft cries from down the hall.

"The baby's up." Stephanie said as she sat up in bed. "What time is it?"

"About five fifteen." Emily said squinting at the clock next to the bed.

"I better go check on him." Stephanie yawned.

"I'll go. You go back to sleep." Emily looked over at her fiancée.

"You sure? You have to be up in like an hour."

"I know, but you'll have your hands full all day with Bryce. You could use the extra sleep."

Emily then reached over the side of the bed for her clothing. Once she had slipped on a t shirt and pair of boxer shorts, she got out of bed and headed down the hall to the nursery. She walked into the room and over to her son's crib, where he was crying incessantly. First, she checked his diaper, but it didn't need changing.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Emily said softly as she picked Bryce up out of the crib.

"Don't cry. Mom's here now." Emily cradled the baby against her chest and gently rubbed his back. "It's okay. Ssshhh..."

Emily slowly paced about the room for the next fifteen minutes, gently bouncing her son in her arms. Emily was just about ready to head into the kitchen to get a bottle when Bryce's crying began to subside and he started drifting back to sleep.

"That's better." Emily patted Bryce's back as she walked back over to the crib.

"I love you." Emily said before kissing her son's forehead and laying him back down in the crib.

Emily lingered with her forearms perched on top of the crib for an additional few minutes to make sure Bryce wasn't going to wake up again. When she was sure that her son was comfortably asleep once again, she headed back to her own bedroom.

"Is Bryce okay?" Stephanie asked, feeling the bed shift as Emily laid back down.

"He's perfectly fine. I got him back to sleep." Emily wrapped her arms around her fiancée, assuming a spooning position.

"Thank you." Stephanie yawned.

"You're welcome." Emily gently kissed Stephanie's neck before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep once again.

* * *

Later that same morning.

Emily walked out of the bedroom she shared with Stephanie and into the kitchen. Emily poured some coffee into her favorite Texas Tech travel mug before heading into the nursery. Emily walked into the room, where Stephanie was sitting in the rocking chair and had just finished breastfeeding Bryce.

"Em, can you hand me a spit up rag, please?" Stephanie asked.

"Sure." Emily picked up a rag near the changing table and walked it over to her fiancée.

"You know, this is absolutely beautiful." Emily smiled. "My wife and my son. What else could I possibly ask for? In just two short weeks it'll all be official. Can you believe it?"

"No, I really can't." Stephanie stared up into Emily's eyes.

"Don't forget we have our last meeting with the wedding planner tonight…oh and I'm also gonna try to finish filling out Bryce's adoption papers. I really should have had that all taken care of by now."

"It's okay. I know you've been busy." Stephanie said, staring blankly ahead as she patted Bryce's back.

"You all right? You seem a little bit distracted." Emily reached out and placed her hand behind Stephanie's head.

"I just have a lot on mind, that's all."

"Honey, I get it. Really I do. We've got a lot going on right now, but everything's gonna be fine." Emily said reassuringly. "You don't need to worry." Emily smiled and leaned down, placing a kiss on her fiancée's lips. "I love you."

Emily then focused her attention to her son.

"And I love you too, big guy." Emily kissed Bryce on the forehead.

"I'll see you both tonight." Emily said before heading out the door for work.

Emily's thoughts then shifted to when she returned home that night.

"Hey, Steph, sorry I'm late. I got tied up at work." Emily called out as she walked into the kitchen.

When Stephanie didn't answer Emily walked into the bedroom, looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Emily assumed that her fiancée must have gone out to run an errand, she didn't think much of it at all. Emily walked over to her dresser to pick out some nicer clothes to wear to the meeting with the wedding planner. She opened one of her dresser drawers and pulled out a new shirt. As she closed the drawer, she noticed Stephanie's engagement ring. Emily thought it strange that Stephanie had taken the ring off, she had never taken it off since she had gotten it. Emily noticed that the ring was sitting on top of a small piece of folded, lined paper, she picked up the note and unfolded it. As Emily's eyes skimmed over the paper, her chest tightened and her breathing increased, almost to the point that she was hyperventilating.

"No…this can't be…" Emily whispered as tears began to fill her eyes.

Emily darted across the room and opened the closet door. All of Stephanie's clothes were gone. Emily then quickly made a beeline for the nursery. She frantically ripped open Bryce's dresser drawers, all of his clothes and toys were gone. The only item that remained was the solid oak crib that Emily had built from scratch with her own two hands. Tears began falling freely from Emily's eyes.

"No…not my son…" Emily sobbed, hunched over the bars as stared down into the empty crib, tears falling onto the bed where Bryce had slept no more than twelve hours ago.

In an instant, Emily's life had been changed. Her fiancée and son were gone.

* * *

"Em?" Stephanie said again, snapping the architect out of her thoughts.

Emily stared across the bar into the eyes of the woman who had broken her heart, what felt like an eternity ago. Emily's heart thumped hard against her ribcage, her mind raced a mile a minute, her mouth was dry and the lump in her throat inhibited any chance of speech. Emily closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"I heard you were back in town." Stephanie said. "How have you been?"

"How have I been?" Emily asked, trying very hard to remain calm. "You leave me two weeks before we were supposed to be married and took my son away..." Emily's voice cracked slightly. "I haven't seen or heard from you in over a year and a half and you want to know how I've been?" The volume of Emily's voice steadily increased. "How do you think I've been?"

"Emily. We should talk. Please?"

"Fine. Talk." Emily crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm all ears."

As one of the other bartenders walked by, Stephanie grabbed his arm.

"Hey, can you please cover for me?" Stephanie asked. "There's something I really need to take care of."

"Sure, Steph. No problem." The bartender said.

"Thank you."

Stephanie then tossed the bar rag that was over her shoulder to her coworker and walked around to the outside of the counter, where Emily stood.

"Follow me." Stephanie looked up at Emily before walking toward the back of the bar and into one of the offices.

"Should I be in here?" Emily asked.

"It's okay. Besides none of the managers are here tonight anyway. No one will know the difference."

Emily's eyes slowly roamed all over Stephanie's small body, not in a sexual, lustful way at all, but rather in the sense that Emily couldn't believe her ex-fiancée was standing here in front of her. Stephanie looked almost exactly the same as Emily remembered. Her blonde hair was slightly shorter and a bit lighter than it used to be and it hung in loose waves, just above her shoulders. Emily also noticed that Stephanie hadn't yet fully lost the baby weight that Bryce had brought with him.

"Well..." Emily held her arms out at her sides as she stared straight at her ex.

"Look, Em, when I heard you were back in town, I wanted to get in touch with you, but I didn't know what to say…"

"Okay, I'll talk then...how could you just walk out? Do you have any idea of the hell that you put me through? You never answered any of my calls, my texts, my emails. You just disappeared...you didn't even have the decency to break up with me to my face. All I got was a note and your engagement ring back...I didn't deserve to blindly come home to that..."

"You're right, you didn't deserve that and I'm sorry..."

"Why? How..." Emily shook her head, trying to organize her thoughts.

"Emily, I was immature, I was overwhelmed. We were supposed to get married in two weeks. You seemed so sure of everything, but I wasn't…"

"So you had doubts? Why couldn't you have been honest with me? Why couldn't you talk to me? We had sex the night before you left, Stephanie. Do you remember this? When we finished, I kissed you and we exchanged 'I love yous' before we fell asleep. Why did you say it back, if you weren't sure? How could you just let me go on thinking things were fine? Why did you sleep with me that night if you planned on leaving? Do you know how that made me feel? To know that that meant absolutely nothing to you."

"I should have been honest with you…"

"I know things had been kind of rough for us at times and it's okay that you didn't love me anymore. Lots of people fall out of love. It hurt to lose you, I won't lie about that, but I didn't only lose you. I lost my child. You didn't even let me say goodbye to my son. How could you just take him away?" At this point, Emily was fighting back tears, she was determined to not let Stephanie see her cry. "It was like you took my whole life from me. You completely screwed me up."

"I really regret how things ended with us…but you were always so sweet, I didn't wanna hurt you…when Bryce's dad contacted me, I didn't know what to do. I had really mixed emotions. He was the father of my son, how could I not feel a connection to him? I didn't tell you because I thought you'd be upset and angry. We'd been talking for a few weeks, he wanted to be with his son. He had a right to know Bryce and my parents thought that he needed a father in his life."

"So...this guy was too irresponsible to wear a condom and too stupid to know when to pull out, but just because he's a man, just because he got you pregnant, that somehow made him a more suitable parent than I was?"

"I just thought I should try to work things out with Bryce's dad…I was twenty years old, I was confused...I didn't know what to do."

"Stephanie, I was barely twenty one when we found out you were pregnant. How do you think I felt? You cheated on me…just thinking about you having sex with some guy, then laying down with me in my bed…" Emily stared the blonde hard in the eyes. "It took a lot, but I managed to look past that…I did every thing I could have for you. I'm not trying to sound condescending or anything, but there aren't many men out there who would have done what I did. I'm not saying that I was prefect, but most guys would be gone in a second if their girlfriend got pregnant with someone else's baby and in our situation you obviously didn't even have the option to lie and say it was mine. After all I did for you, how could you choose to be with a deadbeat who did absolutely nothing for you throughout your entire pregnancy? Bryce may not have been my biological child, but I didn't treat him any differently than I would have if he had been my own blood."

"I can't say that you didn't take good care of Bryce…but legally my ex had a right…and my parents…"

"He did have a right in the eyes of the law and we could have tried to work something out, but you never even talked to me about it. As for your parents…" Emily shook her head. "I know they would much rather see you with a man, if you can even call him that. Your mother made it perfectly clear to me on multiple occasions that she didn't agree with our relationship, but I never gave up on you…no matter what your parents said…do you have any idea how much shit I got from my own mom for staying with you?" Emily walked over to one of the chairs in the office and sat down. "The minute I told her you were pregnant, she wanted me to wash my hands clean of you and the situation, but I never once turned my back on you when you needed me."

"I know..." Stephanie sat down next to Emily. "I should have had the guts to stand up to my parents…I really screwed up. I was stupid and now everything's a mess…"

"What do you mean?"

"Justin and I aren't together anymore. He left me. We had and official DNA test and we were in the process of putting his name on Bryce's certificate…"

"What, did he find out he wasn't the father?" Emily said, sarcastically.

Upon seeing the hurt expression on Stephanie's face and the tears in the corners of her eyes, Emily immediately felt guilty and regretted her words.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Emily said. "That was really disrespectful and I was totally out of line."

"It's okay. It's not like I didn't deserve it. I put you through a lot…I totally understand why you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I hate what you did to me, but I don't hate you...my mother always taught me that you're not supposed to ever hate anyone, no matter how hard it might be sometimes."

"You know…we're in this huge child support battle, he hasn't sent a dime in months to help with Bryce, we're actually getting ready to go to court…"

"Stephanie, are you all right? Do you need money or anything for Bryce?" At this point, Emily wasn't sure what she was offering, but she found her kindness getting the best of her, as it usually did.

"We're doing okay." Stephanie said as she wiped away her own tears. "It's really hard being a single mom, but I moved back in with my parents, so they've been helping me a lot. I go to school during the day and work nights here. It isn't easy, but I'm getting by."

"You're back in school?"

"Yeah." Stephanie nodded. "I've been going to Texas A&M University's central Texas branch. It's close by and most of my credits from Texas Tech transferred. I'm almost done with school."

"That's good. I think it's amazing that you decided to go back to finish your degree."

"Thanks." Stephanie smiled. "I just wish I got to see Bryce more. I feed him breakfast and drop him off at daycare in the morning and my mom picks him up in the evening. He's sleeping by the time I get off work. I kiss him goodnight, but that's about it."

"That's rough, but I'm sure things will get better once you graduate. You'll figure it out." Emily gave Stephanie a reassuring smile.

That smile. At that moment Stephanie could literally feel herself falling for Emily all over again. In the span of only a few seconds, she questioned over and over how she could have ever walked out on such a good, kind-hearted person.

"So…um…what about you? When I ran into your mom a few months ago she said you moved to Pennsylvania. What brought you back to Texas?"

"Work. I got a job designing the new Fort Hood Army Base."

"Really? That's great. That sounds like a huge project. Is it gonna keep you in Texas for a while?"

"Yeah. About another three or four months."

"Do you think you might stay in Texas after you're done working on this project?"

"I don't think so. As soon as I'm done with this job I really wanna get back to my girlfriend in Pennsylvania. I miss her so much."

"You have a girlfriend?" Stephanie's heart sank as she felt intensely disappointed.

"Yeah. Spencer's really amazing. She's gonna be visiting me here in a couple of days."

"You must be really excited."

"I am. I haven't seen her in close to a whole month."

Just then as if on cue, Emily's phone chimed notifying her that she had received a text from Spencer. Emily pulled her phone from her pocket and read over the message.

Hey, babe. How's the hockey game? Call me when you can. :) Love you.

"That your girlfriend?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah." Emily nodded as she stood up. "I should answer her."

"I should probably get back to work…" Stephanie said as she also stood up. "Can I give you my cell number? You know, I mean just in case you'd ever need it for anything."

"Uh, sure." Emily said.

Stephanie picked up a pen and a sticky note from the desk and scribbled down her phone number.

"I'll give you one of my business cards too." Emily reached into the chest pocket of her shirt and handed a card to Stephanie.

"Your cards are adorable." Stephanie smiled.

"Thanks…well…I uh, I'm gonna go text Spencer back." Emily said as she turned to leave the office.

"Emily…"

"Yeah?" Emily turned around.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Emily asked, a confused look crossing her face.

"For not being that complete jerk of an ex that every girl dreads running into…" Stephanie said as she ran her hand down Emily's arm.

* * *

"So, Steph did you get whatever issue you had taken care of?" The bartender who was coving for Stephanie asked upon her return.

"Kind of."

"Was it about that girl you were talking to?"

"Yeah. That was Emily…"

"Like THE Emily? As in your ex-fiancée?"

"That's the one. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I left her and I'll do what ever it takes to get her back…"

 

 


	61. Chapter 61

Emily walked through the bar to the table where her coworkers were all intensely focused on the overtime period of the hockey game.

"Dude, did you talk to her? Is she gonna go out with me or what?" Emily's coworker asked when he noticed her returning.

"Sorry, but I can't help you..."

"What did she say? If she's not interested you can just tell me..."

"No, it's not that. We never even talked about you. I can't help you because she's my ex-fiancée. We have kind of a messy history, this is the first time I've seen or talked to her in over a year..."

"Sorry, I had no idea she was your ex, dude."

"It's fine." Emily shook her head. "There's no way you could have known."

"You okay, Emily?" Mark asked. "You look kinda sick."

"I'm okay. I just wasn't expecting to see my ex. I wasn't prepared for that at all...I, uh, should get going..."

"But the game's in over time." One of the men said. "You sure you don't want to stick around?"

"I can't. I promised my girlfriend I'd call her." Emily bent down and picked up her motorcycle helmet from underneath the table. "I'll see you guys on Monday."

Emily then headed outside. She put her helmet on and got onto her motorcycle. As she drove down the road, Emily's mind replayed the entire exchange she had just had with Stephanie. After seeing Stephanie again Emily found herself relieved that she was no longer romantically attracted to Stephanie in any way, of course she already knew this though, meeting and subsequently falling in love with Spencer had quickly put to rest any desire that Emily had left to pursue a relationship with Stephanie again. Listening to her ex explain that she had basically been too weak and immature to face her apprehensions and issues made Emily realize how lucky she was to be with Spencer. Spencer was willing to fight for her and their relationship. Since Emily had been with Spencer she always had the feeling the Spencer knew exactly what she wanted. Spencer wanted her and she never had any qualms about making that known. Emily knew without a doubt that Spencer was the girl she wanted, yet she found herself agonizing over why she had taken Stephanie's phone number and given her own to her ex. Though Emily questioned herself, deep down, subconsciously, she already knew the answer. Bryce.

Stephanie was the one and only link she had to the child whom she spent an entire year of her life raising. Not to mention, the nine months leading up to his birth. While Stephanie was pregnant, Emily had done everything possible for her fiancée to ensure that Bryce was born healthy. Bryce's image flashed through Emily's mind. She thought about the moment that the nurse first placed him into her arms. His skin was beet-red. The minimal amount of hair he had stuck straight up and he cried. Emily had gently rocked her son back and forth in the delivery room, after a few minutes, he opened his eyes. Bryce stared up at Emily with his big, bright blue eyes and she would have sworn on her life that he had smiled at her. After Stephanie's nearly twenty hour long labor, Emily was sure that she'd never get to meet her son, but finally there he was, staring right back at her. It was almost an unbelievable experience. Holding Bryce for the first time was like nothing Emily had ever experienced before. From the very moment she laid eyes on her son, she immediately fell in love. She was hooked, she didn't care for a single moment that she and Bryce didn't share the same DNA. It didn't matter. He was hers and she was his. Getting over the break up with Stephanie was one thing, but getting over Bryce…getting over the unconditional love she felt for her son and vice versa, was something different and something that Emily frequently found herself struggling with in her head.

The architect was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the horn sounding from an SUV that she had just cut off when she failed to brake at the stop sign she had just blown through. Emily's heart raced as she reacted quickly and swerved out of the way, only narrowly missing the SUV.

"Shit. I'm sorry." Emily called out, though she highly doubted the driver could hear.

Emily pulled off the road into the parking lot of a nearby gas station to collect herself for a moment.

"Thank you, God." Emily said aloud as she touched her forehead, chest, left and right shoulders, respectively, forming the sign of the cross.

Emily then placed her open palm over her chest, where she felt her heart still pounding mercilessly against her ribcage. After a few minutes, once her breathing had slowed and her heart rate had resumed a semi-normal rate, Emily slowly pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

* * *

When Emily returned home that night, she headed straight upstairs to her bedroom. She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Spencer's number, after three rings Spencer picked up.

"Hey, babe." Spencer said. "I'm glad you called. How was the game?"

"It was fine...hey, uh, is this a good time? Can we talk?"

"Of course. I'm in the hotel room. We just got back from a late dinner. Are you okay?"

"There's something I wanna talk to you about..."

"Em, what is it? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just...I just wanted to tell you that I saw Stephanie tonight."

"You saw your ex?" Spencer swallowed hard. "At the bar?"

"Yeah. I had no idea, but she's a bartender there."

"Oh my God. Did you talk to her? Were you pissed? Did you yell?"

"Yeah. At first, when I saw her I was pissed. I had so many questions running through my head all at once."

"Well…what did she have to say for herself?"

"She said she was immature and having doubts about the wedding, she never told me but I guess a few weeks before she left, Bryce's dad contacted her, asking to be a part of Bryce's life..."

"Why should that matter? He was apparently a complete deadbeat loser who didn't care while she was pregnant."

"I know, but when her parents found out, I'm sure they probably did anything they could to keep him there and me out."

"You didn't get along with your almost in-laws?"

"Not really. I mean I tried, but they didn't want anything to do with me. They always wanted Stephanie to be with a man. I was her first girlfriend, Stephanie hadn't even told her parents that she was gay or bisexual or whatever. So when she finally did and she brought me home they weren't exactly thrilled."

"They weren't even happy at all that Stephanie had someone loyal enough to stick by her side when she got pregnant?"

"Nope. I know they would rather have had Stephanie raise the baby alone than with me. I guess Bryce having two mothers was just out of the question for them and I'm sure they convinced Stephanie that Bryce needed a father."

"They're crazy. Who wouldn't want their daughter to have kids with you? I personally, can't wait to have kids. You'll be able to teach our kids how build stuff and cook. Why does it matter if one parent is male and one female, or both female or both male? If a baby has two loving parents what difference does gender make?"

"I don't think it does, but you know there are still some pretty closed-minded people out there. Wait a second...did you say that you wanna have kids with me?"

"Yes. I absolutely wanna have kids with you someday. I bet you'd make the most adorable babies."

"Thanks, Spence. You know, that's one thing I really love about you, you always believe in me. Stephanie apparently wasn't willing to fight for me when things got tough, but you were. You never once gave up when things were messy between your dad and I. I appreciate that. I love you."

"I love you too, Em. I'll always fight for you...so what did Stephanie's parents force her to get married to Bryce's sperm donor?"

"They never got married. She started telling me all of this stuff about how Bryce's dad basically bailed on them when things got too real for his liking. I guess he doesn't see Bryce and he doesn't pay child support. She moved back in with her parents and she said they're getting ready to go to court for the child support hearing."

"Good. What goes around comes around. Bitch got exactly what she deserved for breaking your heart."

"Don't say that. I know I probably shouldn't, but I actually feel kinda sorry for Stephanie. I'm not really a vindictive person. I don't believe in the whole 'an eye for an eye' philosophy, you know? I mean, I'm angry that she took my son away from me completely out of the blue, but I'd never wish any bad on her. It sounds like she's having a hard enough time being a single mom, she doesn't need me acting like a spiteful, arrogant jackass. She said she's back in college and almost finished, so hopefully she'll be able to find herself a good job and take care of Bryce. That's all that I really care about. He didn't do anything wrong, I don't want him to suffer."

"You're too sweet. Stephanie doesn't deserve your genuine kindness, but I know that it's just not in your nature to be mean. Listen Em, are you like, okay after seeing her and everything? After everything you went through, it must have been pretty hard on you running into her."

"Yeah. It, uh, kinda shook me up a little bit. I wasn't prepared to see her, but then again how can you prepare yourself for that?"

Emily walked over to her bed and laid down.

"Did you tell your parents that you saw your ex tonight?"

"No. Well, I mean, I didn't see them when I came in. But, I don't know if I want to tell them just yet. I know how my mom gets when it comes to stuff about Stephanie, I don't think I really feel like dealing with that..."

"I guess I understand you not wanting to tell your mom right now, but thanks for telling me. You can just forget all about Stephanie because by this time on Tuesday I'll be with you. I can't believe it."

"Neither can I. I can't wait. Are you okay flying by yourself and everything?"

"Of course. I'll be fine. Are you gonna get me at the airport or should I arrange a cab or something?"

"I checked with my bosses already and I'm only working half a day on Tuesday so I'll be there when your plane lands."

* * *

It was around one in the afternoon on Tuesday when Emily returned home from work.

"Hi, mom." Emily said as she walked into the kitchen, where her mother was finishing icing a cake.

"Hi, honey, how was work?" Pam asked.

"It was fine. Thanks. What are you making?"

"Double chocolate fudge cake with strawberries." Pam put the knife she was using down and began placing large strawberry halves around the top of the cake. "You did say that Spencer loves strawberries, right?"

"Yep." Emily smiled. She picked up one of the strawberry halves, scraped some icing from the side of the cake and placed the chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth.

"That's for after dinner." Pam swatted at Emily's hand. "And I need those strawberries. They're out of season, you have no idea how hard it was to find decent ones."

"Sorry." Emily laughed. "It just looks so good."

"What time does Spencer's flight get in again?"

"Four thirty."

"Great. By the time we get back from the airport your dad should be home."

"Hey, mom, it's not that I don't want you to come with me, but I think Spencer's gonna be kinda nervous about coming home with me, so would it be okay if I just picked her up myself?"

"Of course, sweetheart, that's fine. But make sure you let her know that she doesn't have anything to be nervous about."

"I will. I'm gonna go take a shower before I head to the airport."

"Okay, honey. Did you eat anything for lunch? Do you want me to make you something?"

"I didn't eat. But, you don't have to do that. I'll just make myself a sandwich or something."

"I can make you a sandwich." Pam said as she picked up her knife and smoothed over the icing on the cake in the spot that Emily had just ruined. "Do you want ham or turkey?"

"Mom, you really don't have to..."

"You better pick, or else I'll just have to surprise you."

"Turkey." Emily smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, mom. And thanks for being so open and welcoming with Spencer. I really appreciate it. I love you."

Emily wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tight.

"I love you too, baby." Pam said as she gently ran her hand up and down Emily's back. "I just want to see you happy."

* * *

Spencer stood in her flight's terminal with her mother and father at the Philadelphia International Airport.

"You have everything you need?" Peter asked.

"I think so." Spencer nodded.

"Make sure you at least text us when your plane lands." Veronica said.

"I will, mom."

A voice then came over the loud speaker to announce that Spencer's flight would now begin boarding.

"Have a good trip." Veronica said. "Be careful, but have fun with Emily."

"Not too much fun, though." Peter said, sternly.

Spencer couldn't tell if her father was kidding or not. She assumed not, since he seemed to be making a sexual reference and he wasn't aware that she had already lost her virginity.

"Don't worry." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Tell Emily that we said hello and we hope that everything's going well with the new job." Peter said.

"Thanks, dad." Spencer stepped forward and hugged her father.

Spencer then hugged her mother.

"I should get going." Spencer said.

"Bye, honey, we love you." Veronica said.

"I love you too. See you on Sunday."

* * *

When Emily got out of the shower she put on a pair of jeans and searched her closet for a shirt to wear. After already having changed three different times, Emily finally settled on a blue and green plaid button down shirt. She then put on a pair of sneakers and headed downstairs.

"Hey, mom?" Emily asked, walking into the kitchen. "Do you think I look okay? Do you like this shirt?"

"I think you look cute." Pam smiled. "I, personally would opt for a pair of blue jeans with less holes in them though." She laughed.

"My jeans are supposed to look this way..." Emily laughed. "But seriously though, you're sure I look all right? I've already changed my shirt like three times..."

"Honey, you look just fine." Pam placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Why are you so worried?"

"It's just that, I haven't seen Spencer in person in over a month, I want to make sure that I look okay for her."

"Don't worry, Spencer will love you, I'm sure of it." Pam said as she reached up and took the silver cross around Emily's neck into her hands.

"We should really get you a new cross, you know." Pam moved the clasp, which had been stuck in the cross pendent, to its proper place behind Emily's neck. "This one is so old."

"I love this one, though. You and dad gave it to me when I graduated high school."

Pam smiled and straightened Emily's collar, slightly. "You should really get going. I don't want you to leave Spencer waiting at the airport. I'll get you my car keys."

Pam stepped over to the kitchen island, picked up her keys and handed them to Emily.

"Thanks, mom. I'll be back soon." Emily said as she took the keys from her mother.

"Okay. Be careful."

* * *

Emily arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. She headed over to the correct terminal and found an empty seat near a window. Emily anxiously stared out the window, trying to be calm and patient, but the fact that she would be seeing her girlfriend again after such a long time had Emily's mind racing. Emily unbuttoned the cuff of her right sleeve and rolled it up her forearm, to her elbow. She then did the same with the left sleeve. Emily reached up and undid the second button on her shirt, revealing a little more of her tanned skin. Emily looked down at her watch, there were still about fifteen minutes left until Spencer's plane was scheduled to land. Emily assumed that the aircraft was probably now in the process of beginning it's final descent into the Killeen airport. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, Emily silently said a prayer, asking for Spencer's safety as well as the safety of everyone else on board. Though it seemed like an eternity later, eventually the passengers began pouring into the terminal. Emily stood up, her eyes darting back and forth, looking for Spencer. After a few minutes, she noticed her girlfriend walking through the door of the terminal with a duffel bag in her left hand. Emily quickly smoothed out her shirt and stared straight ahead, waiting for the passengers in front of Spencer to clear out. Spencer looked left and right, searching for Emily in the crowd.

"Spence." Emily said as the brunette moved in her direction.

Spencer quickly turned her head and locked eyes with Emily. Emily felt frozen in place as she stared at her girlfriend. Spencer had on a black and white paisley print dress with a black cardigan that hung open and a thick, black leather belt cinched at her waist. Over top, Spencer had on Emily's leather jacket. She also wore a pair of black knee high socks as well as her favorite pair of nearly knee high, leather Tory Burch boots. Emily's eyes wandered all up and down her girlfriend's body. Time seemed to move in slow motion as Spencer walked toward her. Once Spencer finally reached Emily, she dropped her duffel bag to the floor and hugged her girlfriend. Emily's arms instantly wrapped themselves around Spencer's body, slightly lifting her up off of the ground.

"I missed you so much." Emily said as she set Spencer back down on the ground.

"I missed you too." Spencer squeezed Emily even tighter, burying her face into her girlfriend's chest. "I love you."

"I love you. So much." Emily reciprocated, holding Spencer as close as humanly possible.

Spencer couldn't even describe how good it felt to be wrapped in Emily's strong arms once again. Spencer inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of the Irish Spring soap that lingered behind on Emily's skin from her shower.

"No, don't let me go." Spencer said, when she felt Emily begin to pull away.

"Okay." Emily said softly as she pulled Spencer against her chest once again.

Emily smiled to herself, finally being able to hold Spencer in her arms again brought Emily to the realization of just how much she had missed her girlfriend. After a few long moments, they separated. Emily stared down into Spencer's eyes. Spencer placed one hand on Emily's chest, just below her collar bone and in an instant her lips were on the architect's. Though the kiss was brief, it was still very satisfying for both sides.

"I'm so happy to see you." Emily said when the kiss was broken.

"I'm so happy to see you too." Spencer smiled brightly as she took Emily's hand in her own. "Oh and nice shirt, by the way. Have I ever told you that you look really sexy in plaid?"

"No, because if you had, I would have had a much easier time picking out a shirt to wear. This was like the fourth one I put on."

"You changed clothes four times for me?" Spencer smirked.

"Well...yeah. I wanted to look good for you."

"And...you are officially the most adorable girlfriend ever."

Emily just stood for a moment, looking Spencer up and down again.

"What?" Spencer asked, following Emily's gaze. "Do you hate this dress? Do you think it's too slutty for your parents?"

"No, no, no. It's not slutty at all. I love it, actually. I just can't stop looking at you…you're so beautiful and I can't believe that you're finally here."

"Neither can I." Spencer stood up on her toes and gave Emily a quick peck on the lips.

"So…how was your flight?"

"It was okay...are your parents here somewhere?"

"No, I came alone."

"Good." Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. "I mean not that your parents aren't here, I'm just glad to have a little extra time to kinda prepare myself..."

"I thought you might be a little nervous. That's why I wanted to pick you up by myself..." Emily brought Spencer's hand up to her lips and gently kissed it. "You don't have anything to worry about though. My parents are gonna love you...now, did you check any bags?"

"Yeah. I have one suitcase."

"Let's go pick it up, then we can head back to my house." Emily smiled.

Emily bent down and picked up Spencer's duffel bag. They walked hand in hand as they made their way to the baggage claim area.

"There's my suitcase." Spencer pointed to a bag on the other side of the carousel.

"Which one?"

"The Louis Vuitton one."

Emily just looked at Spencer, a slightly confused look on her face. She recognized the designer name, but she wasn't sure that she could tell the difference between Louis Vuitton and any other designer if her life depended on it.

"That brown one that has the same pattern as my duffel bag, babe." Spencer smiled.

"Oh. Got it." Emily laughed as she stepped forward and grabbed Spencer's suitcase as it came around on the conveyor. "All right, let's get out of here."

"I can carry that." Spencer said, reaching for her suitcase.

"No way. I've got it."

"Well, at least let me take the duffel, then."

"It wouldn't be very polite of me to let you carry the bags. I'll get it. Don't worry." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer on the side of her head.

"Thanks, Em...so...tell me about your dad...like what do I do when I meet him? Do I salute him? Do I call him 'sir' or what?"

"You don't have to. My dad's pretty easy going. Just be yourself. You're naturally sweet and charming. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, okay? You'll be fine...how are things with your dad though? Was he upset about you coming here?"

"Not really. I mean I think he was nervous about me flying alone to a place I've never been before, but he's not mad about me coming to see you, if that's what you're thinking. I think my dad might finally be past this whole not liking you phase. He even told me to tell you that he hopes everything is going well with your job."

"That's really great news, Spence. When I come home, I'm really hoping that your dad and I can start over."

"I know, I'd really like that…so what have you been doing besides working?"

"I've been doing a lot of stuff around the house for my mom. Nothing too exciting though, just fixing cabinets and doing a little painting, stuff like that…I've been working on building a bookcase for my mom too."

"Aw, that's sweet. You think you could maybe build me a bookcase when you come home?"

"Definitely. I'll build you anything you want. Just name it."

When they got to the car, Emily opened the front passenger door for Spencer. Once her girlfriend was inside, Emily closed the door and put Spencer's luggage into the trunk. When Emily got into the driver's seat, she glanced over at Spencer.

"Have I told you how much I missed you?" Emily asked.

"I think you mentioned it." Spencer smiled.

Emily reached up and tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear. Emily placed her hand on Spencer's cheek as she leaned over and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's. Spencer closed her eyes and sighed happily into the kiss. Her hands slowly slid up Emily's muscular shoulders. Emily deepened the kiss, running her tongue along Spencer's bottom lip. Spencer opened her mouth, without hesitation, allowing Emily to slip her tongue inside. The kiss quickly became more and more heated as both Emily and Spencer's tongues battled for dominance. Emily's hands tangled themselves in Spencer's hair. They separated only for a moment, to breathe, before their lips crashed back together again, this kiss even more passionate than the last. After a few moments, Emily broke this kiss in order to move lower to kiss Spencer's neck. A soft moan escaped Spencer's lips as Emily began sucking on her pulse point.

"Easy, tiger." Spencer said, placing a hand on Emily's chest, causing the architect to break contact with her neck. "This feels amazing, but I really don't wanna meet your parents with a bunch of hickies all over my neck."

"Sorry." Emily smiled, sheepishly.

"Don't be sorry, I love that you're so passionate with me." Spencer moved her hand to Emily's cheek. "It's really romantic. Wait…you are being passionate, right? Or are you just horny?"

"Both." Emily glanced over at Spencer. "But more so the passionate, romantic thing." She smiled.

"At least you're honest." Spencer laughed as she leaned over to kiss Emily once more. "And I can't blame you anyway, we have been apart for a long time."

"Too long." Emily said, leaning her head back against the car seat. "Well…are you ready to go meet my parents?"

"As ready as I'll get, I guess." Spencer said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"It'll be fine." Emily said, reassuringly as she started the car. "I promise." She reached over to the passenger's seat and took Spencer's hand.

 


	62. Chapter 62

Emily glanced over at Spencer as they stood on the doorstep to the Fields' house.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

"I think so." Spencer took a deep breath.

Emily set Spencer's bags down and took the brunette's face in her hands.

"Please don't worry." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's. "My parents are gonna love you."

Emily then opened the front door and waited for Spencer to step inside first. The architect picked up Spencer's bags and carried them inside before setting them down next to the door. Emily stepped behind Spencer and took the jacket off of her shoulders. Spencer raised her arms out a little, so that Emily could slip the jacket off.

"Mom, we're home." Emily called out as she hung the jacket on the hook, next to the door.

Emily reached down and took and Spencer's hand as they walked into the kitchen. A moment later, the door to the basement opened and Pam walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, girls."

"Mom, you remember Spencer." Emily glanced over at her girlfriend.

"How could I forget such a pretty face?" Pam smiled. "It's so nice to see you again. How are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm great. I'm really happy to be here." Spencer smiled back. "Thank you so much for having me."

"Oh, you're very welcome, honey. Mister Fields and I are happy to have you. How was your flight?"

"Not bad. It was on time and pretty smooth so I guess you can't really ask for much more than that."

"I assume Emily was on time picking you up?"

"Of course. She was right there waiting when I got off of the plane and I was so happy to see her."

"Probably not nearly as happy as I was to see you." Emily leaned over and placed a kiss on top of Spencer's head.

"Just look at you two. You're so cute." Pam said. "I'm certain that my Emily is nothing short of sweet and kind with you?"

"Definitely. She's absolutely wonderful." Spencer smiled.

"So...is dad home yet?" Emily asked.

"Not yet, he called and said he's running a little late, he should be home soon though. I'm going to finish making dinner. In the mean time, why don't you show Spencer upstairs to the guest room and help her get settled in?

"Sure."

"I just put fresh sheets on the bed and towels in the bathroom." Pam said, looking at Spencer. "Make yourself at home and if you need anything while you're here, please don't be afraid to ask."

"Thank you very much."

"Come on, Spence." Emily said.

Emily and Spencer walked back into the living room, where Emily picked up Spencer's bags.

"Follow me." Emily said, walking toward the staircase.

Spencer followed Emily up the stairs and into the bedroom. Spencer looked around the room. The bed was perfectly made up, the furniture immaculately dusted and not a single object in the room was out of place.

"Wow. Everything's so perfect." Spencer said.

"My mom's kind of a neat freak." Emily said as she set Spencer's suitcase down on the bed. "Everything has to have a place..."

"I think your mom and I will get along just fine." Spencer laughed.

"I think so too. You might be even more OCD than she is. I mean, my mom has never organized my socks and underwear by color ranging from light to dark before." Emily chuckled.

"What's wrong with that?" Spencer laughed.

"Nothing at all. Since we started dating, my apartment's the most organized it's ever been. Can I help you unpack?"

"That would be great." Spencer unzipped her suitcase and began to remove her neatly folded clothing.

"So...you packed a lot of clothes..." Emily said.

"Of course. I always like to be prepared."

"Are these my boxers and t shirts?" Emily asked picking up a few plain white, v neck t shirts and pair of black boxer shorts with red hearts on them.

"Yeah. I brought them from your apartment. I hope you don't mind, I just really like sleeping in your clothes. They're so much more comfortable than mine..."

"I do love it when you wear my clothes...even if it is just underwear..."

Spencer then reached back into her suitcase, pulled out the stuffed giraffe that Emily had given her and set it out on the bed.

"You brought your giraffe?" Emily smiled.

"Yep. Don't laugh…but I sleep with it every night."

"You do?"

"Uh huh. I makes me think of you. If I can't cuddle with you, that's the next best thing."

"I'm sorry we can't stay together, like in the same room and everything. You know, my mom's a little old fashioned. She wouldn't even let Stephanie and I share a bed here when we were engaged and after Bryce was born."

"It's okay. My dad wouldn't let us share a bed if you were staying at my house either. I get it."

"My mom must really trust you. After I came out, she never let me be alone with a girl in any room that had a bed in it."

"Well, I guess I have a very trusting face." Spencer said, taking a blue bathrobe from her suitcase.

"Yes, you do. I think it's those big brown innocent eyes." Emily leaned in and captured Spencer's lips in a kiss.

"Hang this up for me?" Spencer handed Emily the robe when the kiss was broken.

Emily walked over to the door, she closed it most of the way and hung Spencer's robe on the hook on the back of the door.

"So, Em…speaking of Stephanie…are you really okay after seeing her the other night? You seemed upset on the phone."

"Honestly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I mean, I'm not thinking about Stephanie. I'm not attracted to her at all anymore, seeing her again proved that for me...I just can't help wondering about Bryce. It's not fair that he has to be caught in the middle of everything between Stephanie and his father. He didn't do anything wrong, why should he suffer?"

"You miss Bryce, don't you?"

Emily just stared into Spencer's eyes, hesitant to say anything.

"Emily, you can be honest with me." Spencer reached up and gently stroked Emily's cheek with her thumb.

"Honestly, yes. I've been trying put that part of my life out of my mind, but it's hard. I was there since before he was even born. I went to every doctor's appointment and Lamaze class. I carried a picture of his sonogram around in my wallet until he was born. I was in the delivery room, I watched him being born, I cut his umbilical cord. He was my whole life for an entire year. He's my son...or he was my son, I mean…I didn't even get to say goodbye…but, I'll just have to get over it…"

"Aw, Em..."

"Spencer, I'm sorry…you came to visit me, we don't have a lot of time together and I'm here being a total buzzkill..."

"No, you're not. Em, I get that this is really hard for you. Even if I can't fully relate to what you've gone through, I can listen and try to help. I'll do what ever I can."

"I really, really missed you." Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer, pulling her close.

"I missed you too." Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and stared up into her eyes.

Spencer buried her right hand into Emily's hair and gently stroked her raven locks. Emily brought her hand up and brushed a strand of hair from Spencer's forehead as she leaned down and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's. Spencer smiled into the kiss as her hand moved from Emily's hair, across her shoulder and down her bicep. Emily closed her eyes and deepened the kiss as both of her hands planted themselves on either side of Spencer's face. A few minutes later, Pam walked upstairs, she pushed the door open and stepped into the room, where Emily and Spencer were still involved in a heated lip lock. Pam cleared her throat to announce her presence in the room, causing Emily and Spencer to quickly separate. Spencer's skin reddened as she glued her eyes to the floor.

"Sorry to interrupt, but your father's home. Why don't you come downstairs?"

"Okay." Emily nodded.

Emily and Spencer followed Pam out of the room and downstairs to the living room. Spencer's eyes carefully looked Wayne up and down. Spencer noticed that in person, Emily looked a lot more like her father than any photograph could convey. They were approximately the same height, they had the same dark hair and kind eyes.

"Hi, dad." Emily smiled. "This is Spencer."

Emily placed her hand on the small of Spencer's back as the brunette took a small step forward. Spencer swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked Emily's father in the eyes.

"Hello, Spencer. It's nice to meet you." Wayne smiled and extended his hand to the brunette.

Wayne's voice was gravely, but his tone wasn't intimidating in the slightest.

"It's nice to meet you too." Spencer shook Wayne's hand. "Thank you for letting me come visit."

"You're welcome. It's our pleasure to have you. Emmy's told me so many wonderful things."

"Let's all talk over dinner." Pam suggested. "It's just about ready."

"That sounds great." Wayne said. "Just let me get out of this uniform and I'll be right back."

Wayne then disappeared out of the room and headed upstairs.

"Why don't you two go into the dining room and sit down?" Pam said.

"Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?" Spencer asked.

"Oh no, sweetheart, I'll take care of everything. But thank you for asking, you're very sweet."

Spencer followed Emily into the dining room. On the table, there was a large bowl of mashed potatoes, a basket filled with homemade dinner rolls and next to each plate was a small bowl filled with salad.

"You can sit here." Emily pulled Spencer's chair out and waited for her to sit down.

Once Spencer was seated, Emily sat down in the chair across from her girlfriend.

"It's always nice to be able to come home after a long day and sit down to dinner with my family." Wayne said, walking into the dining room.

Wayne leaned down and kissed Emily on top of the head on the way to his seat at the head of the table.

"I'm gonna go see if mom needs any help…I'll be back in a minute." Emily said.

Emily then stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Well, looks like it's just you and me." Wayne said, glancing over at Spencer.

"I uh, I guess so…" Spencer stuttered.

"Do you need a hand?" Emily asked, looking at her mother.

"I think I've got everything under control."

"Hey, uh…mom…"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I know we talked earlier about this, but I think Spencer's still pretty nervous about meeting you and dad, so please be nice…"

"You don't think I'm nice?"

"No, it's not that…it's just that you can be kind of intense sometimes."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mom, the first time you met Spencer, we were barely even friends yet and you hit on her for me…you practically tried to set up…I just don't want Spencer to feel uncomfortable while she's here."

"Honey, I promise, I'll be on my best behavior."

"Thank you. I want this to go smoothly…I really lo...like Spencer…"

"You like her, or you love her?" Pam smiled brightly.

"Oh God." Emily sighed. "Okay, I do love her. A lot. Just don't get all crazy. I don't want to send her running in the opposite direction…so please don't start talking about marriage or sex or kids or…"

"Sex? Who's having sex?" Pam asked, a questioning, but not necessarily angry look gracing her features.

"No…no one…" Emily stuttered, immediately regretting her previous statement. "I'm just saying…in general…those would all be things to avoid talking about."

"Honey, I think you're more nervous than Spencer is." Pam shook her head as she placed her hand on her daughter's cheek. "Your father and I won't embarrass you. Don't worry."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

Pam then reached up and buttoned the second to the top button on Emily's shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing your shirt. That's way too much cleavage for dinner."

"Cleavage?" Emily said, looking down at her own chest. "I'm wearing a sports bra. I don't have cleavage, I never do."

"Just too much skin, then."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Four months ago, you would have undone half the buttons on my shirt and paraded me around to every cute, available girl you knew." Emily laughed.

"Well, now you have Spencer and she adores you, so you don't have to try so hard." Pam smiled and patted Emily's cheek.

"So tell me something, Spencer…" Wayne said. "You and Emily have been dating for a few months now…I want to know, what exactly your intentions are."

"My…my…intentions?" Spencer felt her heart beat hard against her chest, she obviously didn't pick up on the playfulness in Wayne's tone. "I…um…I'm not sure I know what you mean…"

Spencer found herself even more confused when Wayne began chuckling a moment later.

"Relax. I'm only kidding with you, hun…" Wayne laughed.

Spencer exhaled an audible sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Wayne smiled.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous."

"There's no need to be nervous. I'm really not as scary as people think…just don't tell my Army recruits that." Wayne laughed.

"I promise not to." Spencer laughed too.

"You know…" Wayne said, raising his water glass to his lips. "Emily hasn't brought many serious girlfriends home to her mother and I, which makes me think, you must be pretty special."

"I hope so…Emily's really special to me. She's the nicest, sweetest person I've ever met."

"I'm glad to hear that. Emily's a pretty good kid…I'm very proud of her."

"You should be."

"I hope everyone's hungry." Pam said, entering the dining room with a large serving platter. "I made plenty of pot roast."

"Great. My favorite." Wayne smiled.

Emily sat down as Pam placed the platter in the middle of the table and placed a few large slices of meat on to Spencer's plate as well as a large helping of mashed potatoes, a mixture of peas, baby carrots and potato chunks. Pam also reached into the basket on the table and placed a dinner roll onto Spencer's plate.

"Spencer, would you like some gravy for your potatoes?" Pam asked.

"Yes, please. And thank you. Everything looks and smells amazing, Missus Fields."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Pam said as she poured some gravy over Spencer's potatoes.

Pam then placed some food onto her husband's plate, Emily's plate and her own plate before sitting down.

"Spencer, you're the guest. Would you like to say the blessing before we eat?" Pam asked.

In a split second, Spencer panicked. She had no idea what to say, her family rarely ate together and when they did, they never said grace.

"Would you mind if I said grace, tonight?" Emily asked, taking a sip from her water glass as she glanced across the table at her girlfriend. "I'm feeling especially blessed today."

"Not at all." Spencer breathed a sigh or relief. "Go ahead."

Pam and Wayne both closed their eyes and bowed their heads, waiting for Emily to begin. Spencer stared at Emily and mouthed the words 'thank you' to her girlfriend. Emily smiled and winked, before bowing her own head and giving the pre-meal blessing.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Pam said, when Emily finished speaking.

"So, Spencer...Emily said you took classes at U Penn over the summer. I'm impressed." Wayne said. "Are you thinking about the Ivy League for your college degree?"

"Definitely. I'd love to go to U Penn full time. The campus is great and I'd be close to home."

"Have you thought about what you might study?" Pam asked.

"Well…my parents are both lawyers and my dad wants me to study law, but I don't know that that's the direction I wanna take."

"What did you have in mind?" Wayne asked.

"I really love interior design and my sister got her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at U Penn. She loved the classes and professors. I was thinking maybe I'd double major in business and interior decorating. I'd love to start my own design firm someday."

"Spencer's definitely got the talent for design work." Emily said. "You should see what she did with her parents' guest house. It's beautiful."

"It wasn't really that big of a deal." Spencer blushed slightly.

"Are you kidding? Spence, when I first saw that guest house, I remember telling you that the work was just as good as a lot of the professionals I've worked with and I really meant that."

"Thanks, Em. I've always loved designing and organizing and shopping and Emily's really inspired me. I want to have a successful career doing something that I love."

"You know, if interior design is something you're passionate about, I say go for it." Wayne said. "You should do what makes you happy. My parents were completely against me joining the Army, but I knew it was my calling. I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life and eventually they realized that and came to accept it. I'm sure your parents will understand that."

"I hope so…"

"Now, you said you had a sister?" Pam asked.

"Yes, she's twenty three and she's getting married this spring." Spencer said before taking a bite of her pot roast. "I can't wait to take Emily to the wedding and introduce her to the rest of my family."

"Is your sister your only sibling?" Wayne asked.

"Uh huh…Missus Fields, this is the best pot roast I've ever had…" Spencer smiled.

"Oh, I doubt that. It can't be better than your own mother's. There's nothing like a mother's cooking."

"Well…actually my mom doesn't really cook that much…she and my dad are always working, half the time they're out of town, so we don't eat together very often and when we do it's usually at our country club…it's just not really the same as having a home cooked dinner."

"That's really a shame." Pam said. "Family dinners are so important."

"I think so too." Spencer agreed. "I think my parents have pretty much shown me everything not to do when I have kids of my own."

"I think everyone works to improve the lives of their own children." Pam said.

"Definitely." Emily agreed. "So…Spencer's field hockey team placed second in the state…" Emily said, trying to take the attention off of Spencer's parents.

"It's not really that big of a deal." Spencer said.

"Sure it is." Emily countered. "You're the captain. You led the team to be runners up in the whole state of Pennsylvania. That's awesome."

"Sounds like quite an accomplishment to me." Wayne said. "Are you a fan of ice hockey at all?"

"Absolutely. My dad and I are huge Flyers fans. My dad has season tickets, if he's not too busy entertaining clients, sometimes he takes me to the games. He has glass seats, so it's always a lot of fun."

"Besides hockey, do you do any other extracurriculars?" Pam asked.

"I'm the student council president, co-captain of the academic decathlon team, I'm involved in a lot of clubs at school and I tutor when I can."

"Busy girl." Wayne said, taking a bite of mashed potatoes.

"I like staying busy, otherwise I'd probably go crazy from boredom."

"Are you enjoying your senior year?" Pam asked. "Or will you be glad to graduate."

"Both. I'll be glad to move on to college, but I think I'll miss high school at least a little bit."

Spencer smiled to herself as she stabbed another chunk of meat with her fork. So far, Emily's parents seemed to like her. Maybe she had been nervous for no reason after all.

* * *

"If everyone's finished eating, I'll go get dessert." Pam said. "Spencer, honey, are you a coffee drinker?"

"This girl bleeds caffeine." Emily laughed.

"It's true." Spencer smiled sweetly. "I do drink a lot of coffee."

"How much cream and sugar do you take?" Pam smiled.

"Oh, none. Thank you. I prefer it black."

"So do I." Wayne said. "Cream and sugar just dilutes the great natural flavor."

"I'll be right back." Pam said.

"Do you need any help, dear?" Wayne looked up at his wife.

"You could help me bring the cake." Pam said.

"Of course." Wayne stood up and placed his napkin on the table.

Once Pam and Wayne left the room, Emily reached across the table and took Spencer's hand.

"I told you that you didn't have to worry." Emily said. "You're really hitting it off with my parents."

"I'm just really relieved that they seem to like me." Spencer stared into Emily's eyes. "I want them to see me as being good enough for you."

"Would you just look at them." Pam smiled hovering in the kitchen doorway watching, Emily and Spencer, unbeknownst to the couple.

"Emmy certainly seems happy."

"After Stephanie left with Bryce, I didn't think Emily would ever overcome the pain and heartbreak. It's so wonderful to see her happy again."

"It sure is." Wayne smiled as he leaned over and placed a kiss to the side of Pam's head.

* * *

Later that night, Emily and Spencer had been sitting on the couch in the living room, when Pam and Wayne entered the room.

"We're going to head up to bed." Pam said. "Don't stay up too late."

"We won't." Emily said. "I think we're just gonna watch a movie or something."

"All right. Oh and Spencer, breakfast will be ready at seven." Pam said. "Would you prefer French toast or pancakes?"

"Oh, which ever you want to make is fine with me."

"Nonsense, you're the guest. Which would you like?"

"Um, well, French toast is my favorite…" Spencer said sheepishly.

"Then French toast it is."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled.

"Good night, girls." Wayne said.

"Night, dad. Night, mom."

"Good night Missus Fields, Mister Fields."

"We'll see you in the morning." Pam leaned down and kissed Emily on top of the head before disappearing upstairs with her husband.

"So…what do you wanna watch?" Emily asked as she picked up the remote control and began scrolling through the on screen guide.

"Look Titanic is on and it just started." Spencer said.

"Titanic? Do we really have to watch that? It's so lame." Emily whined.

"It's not lame. It's a classic. Put it on, please?" Spencer stared up at Emily, using one of her best pouting faces.

"Fine." Emily rolled her eyes. "Just stop looking at me like that."

Emily put the movie on and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked.

"It's like a three hour movie, I'm going to pee and grab a blanket, I'll be right back."

When Emily returned to the living room a few minutes later, she turned out the lights and spread the blanket out. She sat down and draped the blanket over both she and Spencer.

"Come here." Emily lifted her arm and waited for Spencer to move closer to her.

Emily leaned her back against the armrest of the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table as Spencer nestled herself up against her chest. Emily stared at the television screen and sighed heavily.

"No complaining." Spencer said. "We're gonna sit here and watch a nice, romantic movie together. Don't ruin it."

"Okay, okay. I won't ruin it."

"Thank you." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily.

Emily then placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder and rested her chin on top of the brunette's head.

* * *

It was about half way through the movie that Emily and Spencer found themselves involved in a heated lip lock, completely unaware of what was going on on the television screen. Emily leaned Spencer back against the armrest of the couch as she slowly slid her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth. Spencer's hands tangled themselves into Emily's hair as Emily moved downward and began aggressively kissing Spencer's neck. As Emily hovered above her, Spencer found herself caught up in the moment and began undoing the buttons on the architect's shirt. Once she had reached the last button, the shirt fell open and Spencer slowly slid her hands up over Emily's abdomen. Emily broke contact with Spencer's neck and moved up to kiss her lips again. Emily reached down and undid the belt around Spencer's waist, dropping it to the floor. Emily's hand slowly made its way up Spencer's thigh, pushing the fabric of the brunette's dress upward.

"Wait…Em, stop…" Spencer said, placing her hand on Emily's chest and pushing her back.

"What's wrong?"

"We can't. Your parents are right upstairs. What if they hear us?"

"They're both really heavy sleepers." Emily said, placing another kiss on Spencer's lips. "Nothing wakes them up. It's okay, they'll never know."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Emily said as she gently kissed Spencer's neck.

"Good." Spencer breathed heavily. "Because I really, really want you right now." Spencer said in a deep, husky tone.

Emily felt a sudden wave of desire shoot straight to her core as she leaned down and tightly pressed her lips to Spencer's once again. As they kissed, Emily slowly slid off Spencer's cardigan and dropped it to the floor. After a few moments, Emily moved downward, slid off Spencer's knee high socks and dropped them to the floor, as well. Spencer slid out from underneath Emily's body. She stood up and pulled her dress up over her head as Emily looked on. Emily sat facing forward on the couch, staring at Spencer, who was now in nothing more than her bra and panties.

"Why am I half naked, but you still have clothes on?" Spencer asked.

In an instant, Spencer was back on the couch, straddling Emily's lap, her lips pressed tightly to the architect's. Spencer slid her hands over Emily's shoulders and slipped her shirt off. Spencer opened her mouth and deepened the kiss as she slid her hands over Emily's breasts and down her stomach until they reached her belt buckle. Spencer pulled on the buckle, releasing the prong from its hole. Spencer then quickly unbuttoned and unzipped Emily's jeans.

"Take your pants off." Spencer mumbled into the kiss.

Emily raised her hips and slid her jeans down her legs, until they were far enough down that she could kick them the rest of the way off. Spencer broke the kiss, grasped the bottom of Emily's bra and pulled it up over her head. Spencer placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and kissed her again. Emily deepened the kiss, forcing her tongue inside of Spencer's mouth. Spencer shuddered at the feeling of Emily's hands slowly sliding up the small of her back. While fighting to maintain dominance of the kiss, Emily swiftly unhooked Spencer's bra. She grasped both of the straps in either hand and slowly pulled them down Spencer's arms. Spencer broke the kiss, grabbed her bra, pulled it the rest of the way off and quickly tossed it away. Emily then reached up and placed her hands on Spencer's breasts. She gently began a slow massaging rhythm as she felt Spencer's nipples stiffen against her palms.

"Mmmm, Em." Spencer closed her eyes and moaned quietly.

After a few moments, Emily pulled Spencer closer against her body. Her palms rested flat on the small of Spencer's back as she placed a few light kisses to the brunette's neck, shoulder and collarbone. Spencer's back arched as her hands found the architect's hair again. Spencer ran her hands through Emily's soft, dark locks over and over again.

"Let's get rid of these, okay?" Emily said in a deep, breathy tone as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of Spencer's panties.

The tone of Emily's voice sent shockwaves coursing through Spencer's entire body. Spencer locked eyes with Emily as she felt the architect slowly begin pulling her panties down her thighs. Emily pushed Spencer's underwear as far down as she could possibly get them, leaving the rest up to Spencer. Spencer made quick work of removing her underwear, sliding them off of her legs and dropping them to the floor. Spencer leaned down and pressed her lips to Emily's again. Spencer closed her eyes and groaned softly when she felt Emily's fingers grazing over her upper thigh.

"Em…" Spencer moaned into the kiss, as she felt one of Emily's fingers slip inside her, immediately followed by the addition of a second finger.

Emily slowly began thrusting her fingers in and out of Spencer's body. Though the angle was slightly awkward, it didn't take long at all for Emily to find a steady rhythm. Wanting to feel more friction, Spencer began rocking her hips forward and back, the architect's fingers still deep inside her.

"I really missed this." Emily said before kissing Spencer again.

"Me too." Spencer closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck as she continued grinding into Emily's hand.

"Fuck, Spence. You're so tight." Emily whispered into Spencer's ear.

At this point, Emily was barely moving her fingers anymore. Spencer was doing most of the work, riding her hand for all she was worth. Emily could feel her own arousal heightening with each passing second as Spencer continued grinding against her. The damp fabric of Emily's underwear rubbed uncomfortably against her center, but Emily decided to just deal with it rather than interrupt the pleasure that Spencer was receiving to remove the garment.

"Emily…" Spencer moaned quietly.

Spencer's whole body jerked when she felt Emily's thumb gently brush against her clit.

"Right there, Em…" Spencer groaned and pressed her lips tightly against Emily's to stifle her moans.

Emily slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth as she began rubbing tight circles on Spencer's clit with her thumb. As Spencer's grinding became more and more forceful, Emily continually increased the pace she was using with her thumb. It was only a matter of a few moments later that Emily felt Spencer begin to contract around her fingers.

Spencer felt her entire body tingle as she was swept away by orgasm.

"Em!" Spencer broke the kiss and moaned, relatively loudly.

Despite the fact that Emily didn't think her parents would wake up, she quickly placed her hand on the back of Spencer's head, smashing their lips tightly together in order to quiet Spencer's moans. Spencer continued rocking her hips back and forth, Emily could feel her forearm tightening, a slight cramp coming on, but she wasn't about to move her hand away until Spencer was finished. Just a few moments later, Spencer's movement ceased and Emily slowly pulled her fingers out of Spencer's body.

"You know, for being worried about waking my parents up, you were pretty loud." Emily said, placing her hands on Spencer's hips.

"I can't help it that you're that good." Spencer smirked. "And it's been forever since we've seen each other." Spencer leaned forward and kissed Emily.

"Now, it's your turn." Spencer got up off of the couch and repositioned herself so that she was kneeling on the floor in between Emily's legs. Spencer reached up and hooked her fingers into Emily's underwear. She slowly, almost tortuously pulled the garment down Emily's thighs, past her knees and down her legs. Spencer discarded Emily's soaked underwear onto the floor. Emily shuddered a little as she felt Spencer's hand slowing sliding up over her knees and thighs. Emily slid forward, moving closer to the edge of the couch. Spencer pushed Emily's knees a little further apart and leaned in, she took one long, slow stroke with her tongue.

"Fuck." Emily closed her eyes and sighed, her head falling backward to rest on the back of the couch.

Spencer smiled to herself and began a slow pace of licking Emily up and down. Emily writhed a little underneath Spencer's tongue.

"Faster, Spence." Emily pleaded.

Spencer happily obliged and began utilizing a quicker rhythm, changing her up and down pattern to a circular motion every so often. Emily opened her eyes, spread her legs a little further apart and stared down at her girlfriend.

"Mmm…" Emily groaned and slid her hands into Spencer's hair. "Fuck…that's good...right there."

Being that the pleasure was so overwhelming, Emily was finding herself having a difficult time, resisting the urge to push down on Spencer's head. Emily all but lost her mind when she felt Spencer take her clit into her mouth and begin sucking.

"Shit, Spence…" Emily moaned, gripping Spencer's hair in her hands. "Don't stop…I'm almost…"

Emily raised her hips a little, desperate for more friction and attempting to get as close to Spencer's mouth and tongue as humanly possible. It didn't take long before Emily felt the familiar tightening in the pit of her stomach and a sensation of heat rising in her body. It began in her feet and rapidly made it's way upward as Spencer sucked harder, pausing every so often only to flick her tongue across Emily's swollen, overly sensitive clit. And with one final flick of Spencer's tongue, Emily practically exploded, an overwhelming surge of pleasure coursing throughout her entire body.

"Fuck." Emily choked out, her climax washing over her as she fell back against the couch again.

Spencer continued moving her tongue for just a little while longer, helping Emily ride out the remaining small, lingering tremors of orgasm. After a few moments, Spencer withdrew her tongue and leaned back. She wiped her mouth and stood up. Spencer straddled Emily's lap once again as her girlfriend was still working to catch her breath. Once Emily's breathing had returned to a somewhat normal pace, Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, leaned in and kissed her.

"Spence, that was amazing." Emily said, when the kiss was broken as she gently ran her hands up and down the small of her girlfriend's back. "I think we both really need that."

"So do I." Spencer said, gently running her fingers through Emily's hair. "I can't wait until you come home so we can do this all the time." Spencer placed a light kiss on Emily's jaw.

"Me too…it's been pretty lonely here without you this last month."

"I've been lonely without you too, believe me…not that I want this to end, but we should probably head upstairs. It's already after one and you have to be up early for work."

Emily nodded as Spencer got up off of the couch. Spencer picked up Emily's jeans and shirt and tossed them to her girlfriend. Spencer then picked up her dress from the floor and slipped it back on. Emily pulled her jeans on and slipped her shirt back on over her shoulder, only bothering to button a few of the buttons, as she would be removing it again when she got upstairs anyway. Emily picked up the blanket she and Spencer had been using from the floor, folded it and laid it on the couch. She then picked up her underwear as Spencer gathered her own undergarments and belt from the floor. Before leaving the room, Emily, reached for the remote and turned off the TV.

Emily waited for Spencer to walk up the stairs ahead of her. When they reached the top of the staircase, Emily followed Spencer down the hall to the guest room.

"I'll see you in the morning." Spencer said.

"Bright and early." Emily smiled. "I love you, Spence."

"I love you too." Spencer smiled back.

"Goodnight." Emily placed her hand on Spencer's cheek, leaned forward and placed a long, lingering kiss on Spencer's lips.

"Goodnight." Spencer said softly when the kiss was broken as she stared into Emily's eyes for a moment

After a few more long moments, Emily and Spencer both gave each other one last smile before turning and walking into their bedrooms, each closing their respective door behind them.

 

 


	63. Chapter 63

"Where's Spencer?" Pam asked walking back into the dining room from the kitchen.

"She just went to the bathroom, she'll be right back."

"Emily, I forgot to mention, you know your father's old Army buddy John Reed?" Pam asked as she began to clear the rest of the breakfast dishes from the table.

"Um..." Emily thought for a moment. "Is he the one who lives in Austin?"

"Yes. He and his wife invited your father and I down to his house for New Years Eve. He's having a get together for some of your dad's Army friends."

"Are you guys going?"

"Your father wants to and I wanted to see if you and Spencer would be all right on your own for the night? We'd being staying in Austin over night, your dad doesn't think it'd be a good idea to drive the hour and a half home on New Years. Who knows what kind of crazy drunks might be out on the roads."

Emily's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that her parents would be out of town for the entire night.

"Mom, I think I'm capable of holding down the fort for one night." Emily laughed. "Spencer and I will be fine."

"All right. What are your plans for the evening?" Pam asked.

"We're going out. I made a dinner reservation. And my boss is having a party that he invited us to, so we might stop by for a little bit after dinner, but that's about it."

"Okay…you should get going to work." Pam stepped over to her daughter and kissed her on the forehead. "Your dad already left."

Emily nodded. "I just wanna say goodbye to Spencer first."

After a few minutes, Spencer came back downstairs.

"I'm getting ready to leave. You wanna walk me out?" Emily asked.

"Of course." Spencer smiled brightly.

Spencer then followed Emily outside to the Fields' garage.

"Are you sure you'll be okay hanging out with my mom during the day, while I'm at work? I know she can be a bit much..."

"Don't worry. I mean I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous, but I'll be fine. I really like your mom."

"I think she really likes you too." Emily smiled.

"So, you weren't kidding when you said your bike was actually legit." Spencer walked over to Emily's motorcycle and ran her hand over the seat.

"You like it?" Emily smirked.

"Yeah. It's definitely you."

"I'm gonna take you for a ride at some point before you go home."

"I've never been on a motorcycle before." Spencer said nervously. "Is it safe for two people?"

"Absolutely. Perfectly safe. And I promise, I'm an excellent rider. You trust me, don't you?" Emily raised her eyebrows and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Of course I trust you." Spencer smiled, staring up into Emily's big, brown eyes. "By the way, I'd like to ride a lot more than your motorcycle." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and kissed her.

"I...uh..." Emily stuttered and grinned wildly. "I have fantastic news..."

"What's that?" Spencer asked, sliding both of her hands up Emily's chest and draping them over her shoulders.

"My parents are going out of town for New Years Eve..." Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips. "And they won't be back until some time the following day."

"Are you serious?" Spencer's eyes lit up.

"Yep. My mom just told me. She asked if you and I would be okay on our own for the night."

"Oh, I think we'll manage." Spencer smiled. "This is amazing. I can't wait to spend the whole night alone with you."

"Neither can I." Emily slid her hands from Spencer's hips up to the small of her back as she leaned down to kiss the brunette.

When the kiss was broken, Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes as she ran her fingers through her girlfriend's hair.

"As much as I don't want you to go, I don't want you to be late for work either..." Spencer said after a few moments.

The brunette stepped back, picked up Emily's helmet and handed it to her.

"Thanks. I'll text you on my lunch break."

"Great. I love you, Em."

"I love you too." Emily leaned down and gave Spencer one more goodbye kiss. "See you later."

When Spencer returned to the house, Pam was standing in the kitchen, washing the few remaining breakfast dishes.

"Can I help?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, no, don't worry, I'm just about done here. But thank you." Pam replied.

"Spencer, honey, I have a few errands I need to run today." Pam said. "But you're welcome to stay here, unless you feel like going for a ride."

"Sure, I'll tag along." Spencer said. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all. I could use the company."

* * *

That afternoon, on her lunch break, Emily walked from the job site to her father's office at the soon to be old Army base. Emily knocked on the door to the office.

"Come in." Wayne called out.

Emily opened the door and stepped inside, where she found her father sitting at his desk with two young men, in uniform across from him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Emily said.

"You're not interrupting. We were just finishing up here. I'll see you both later this afternoon." Wayne said, staring straight ahead at the men. "I expect that we won't need to have this conversation again." Wayne's tone was very stern.

Both men nodded and stood up, tucked their hats underneath their arms and saluted Wayne.

"Carry on, recruits. I'll check your progress later on."

"Sir, yes, sir." Both men said in unison.

Emily watched as both men put their hats on and exited the office.

"What was that about?" Emily asked, walking over to her father's desk.

"I caught them involved in a scuffle, I pulled them off of each other and now I'm making them spend the rest of the day scrubbing down the barracks from top to bottom as punishment."

"What were they fighting about?" Emily asked.

"I didn't ask. I don't even care for that matter. I take soldier on soldier violence very seriously. I won't tolerate it."

"Understandable." Emily said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So...what brings you here, hun?" Wayne smiled at his daughter.

"I'm taking a break, I just wanted to see if you could maybe take a lunch break and eat with me?"

"Sure. You feel like leaving the base and grabbing a couple of burgers?"

"Definitely. That sounds great."

"You talked to Spencer this afternoon? She getting along okay with your mom?"

"I just texted her on the way over here. She and mom are bonding over errands." Emily laughed. "She said they're on the way to the grocery store now."

"Glad to hear everything's going well. So…did your mom tell you that she and I are going away tomorrow night?" Wayne asked as he and Emily walked out of the office.

"Yeah, she did. To Austin to see some of your Army buddies, but you and mom don't usually go out for New Years, I thought she didn't like to, how'd you talk her into it?"

"It took a little convincing, but she eventually gave in. I haven't seen John in years and he did invite us over for a sort of reunion. It'll be nice to catch up, besides, I thought that you and Spencer could use some alone time while she's here, so this is a perfect opportunity."

"Thanks, dad." Emily glanced over at her father.

"No problem, kiddo." Wayne said, placing his arm around his daughter. "I know your mother can be a bit overbearing at times. She means well and she's so happy that you and Spencer are together, but she sometimes forgets that you're an adult and need your space and private time."

At this point Emily was unsure if her father was talking about sex specifically, or just generalizing, but either way, she didn't ask questions.

"Thank you. I made Spencer and I a reservation at that French place on the other side of town."

"I didn't know you liked French food."

"It's not exactly my personal favorite, but Spencer loves it and there's always something on the menu that I can eat. Spencer's a really adventurous eater and she's always getting me to try new things."

"You know, Emmy, I think Spencer has been really good for you. You seem so much happier and much more confident in yourself. It's wonderful."

"She's definitely been good for me...hey dad there's something I want to tell you..."

"What's that?" Wayne asked. "You can tell me anything."

"Remember the other night when I went out to watch the hockey game with a few of the guys from the construction crew?"

"Of course."

"Well...I saw Stephanie at the bar. I had no idea, but I guess she's a bartender there..."

Wayne stopped walking and glanced over at his daughter. "Did you speak to her?" He asked.

"Yeah. I mean I pretty much froze up when I first saw her, but we did end up talking."

"What did you talk about?"

"A lot. I had a million questions."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Seeing her after all this time, pretty much just confirmed that I don't have feelings for her anymore, I don't miss having a relationship with her, but…I do still miss Bryce." Emily said as she resumed walking. "I thought a lot about him before, but these last couple of days since running into Stephanie, I've been thinking about Bryce a lot more. He's two now, he was just leaning to walk the last time I saw him." Emily sighed. "He's probably talking now, I just can't help wondering what he looks like, what kind of things he likes...stuff like that."

"That's understandable. He was a big part of your life. It's not easy to just forget."

"It took a while, but I finally got over Stephanie, how long is it gonna take for me to let Bryce go too? When will it stop hurting?"

"I wish I had an answer, baby." Wayne said sympathetically. "But the love you feel for a child is completely different from romantic love. That wound will take time to heal..."

"I guess." Emily nodded.

"I assume you didn't tell your mother that you saw Stephanie?"

"No. I didn't want her to freak out, so can you please not mention it to her just yet? Spencer and I talked about it, I just don't really feel like talking to mom about it. You know how she feels about Stephanie, it's not worth getting her worked up over."

"It'll just be our secret." Wayne smiled.

"Thanks, dad."

 

* * *

"How does chicken sound for dinner tonight?" Pam asked as she and Spencer walked through the meat department of the local supermarket.

"That sounds great." Spencer said. "I only hope your chicken is even half as good as your pot roast."

Pam smiled. "I have a wonderful recipe for a honey lemon marinade."

"Emily's used that recipe when she's made dinner for me before." Spencer said. "It was amazing."

"Does Emily cook for you often?"

"Uh, fairly often, yes."

"Good. I worry that she'll forget how to cook and end up living on fast food."

"She definitely hasn't forgotten anything. She said she loves cooking, just not for one person. But she did say she's happy to cook for me any time."

"That's wonderful. Make her cook for you."

"Will do." Spencer laughed. "Emily's a great cook and I definitely see where she gets it from."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

After they had finished shopping, Pam and Spencer had been on their way to the check out when Pam turned the corner and found herself face to face with a familiar young, blonde girl.

"Missus Fields." The girl said.

"Hello, Stephanie." Pam said, sounding unenthusiastic.

Stephanie. Spencer immediately began eyeing up her girlfriend's ex, as she gritted her teeth. Stephanie certainly wasn't unattractive, but Spencer found herself thinking that Emily could have done much better. There were a million things she wanted to say to say to this girl, but being that Pam was standing next to her in the middle of the grocery store, Spencer thought it best to keep quiet.

"H...how are you?" Stephanie asked.

"Fine. And yourself?" Pam replied curtly.

"I'm all right. Just picking up some medicine for Bryce."

"Is he all right?" Pam asked.

"He's fine, he's just getting over a cold and still a little congested…is Emily okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she be okay?"

"She just seemed kinda freaked out after running into me at the bar the other night."

"What?" Pam's eyes narrowed.

"Oh...she didn't tell you..."

"No, she didn't tell me anything about that."

"I work as a bartender and when she saw me, she seemed pretty surprised and after we talked she still looked very uneasy at best..."

"Well, can you really blame her?" Pam retorted.

"No, I don't. Not at all. I wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to me again, I know what I did was wrong and I know that I hurt her and I feel awful about that...I just wanted know that she's okay."

"Don't worry about Emily." Pam said. "She's fine. She's moved on. She has myself and Spencer here to take care of her." Pam placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "We're all Emily needs, she's never been happier."

"Spencer." Stephanie's gaze shifted to the brunette. "So, you're the girlfriend..."

"Yes." Spencer nodded.

"Emily talked about you." Stephanie stared hard at Spencer. "When we talked, it sounded like she's pretty crazy about you."

"As she has every reason to be." Pam responded before Spencer could say anything. "Is there a problem?"

"No, she just looks younger than I expected she would be. That's all." Stephanie then focused her gaze back to Spencer. "Are you like even legally allowed to be with Emily? You know she's in her twenties, right?" The words came out before Stephanie's brain could tell her mouth not to speak.

"I'm eighteen." Spencer glared at the blonde.

"They wouldn't be seeing each other if she weren't of legal age." Pam snapped.

"Of course…I'm sorry…it's really none of my business anyway."

"Emily's life ceased to be your business the day you made the decision to walk out that door." Pam stared Stephanie hard in the eyes.

Stephanie quickly broke eye contact with Pam.

"Listen, you're lucky." Stephanie said, looking over to Spencer again. "Emily's a really good girl."

"Yes, she is. She's absolutely wonderful." Spencer looked into Stephanie's eyes, a seemingly genuine, remorseful look resided in the blonde's gaze.

"As nice as it's been chatting with you, we need to get going." Pam said, obvious sarcasm in her voice.

"I should go too. Bryce needs his medicine. Please tell Emily I asked about her." Stephanie said before turning and walking away.

"She's got a lot of nerve…" Pam shook her head and continued walking.

After they had checked out, Pam and Spencer loaded the bags into the trunk and got into the car. Before starting the ignition, Pam glanced over at Spencer in the passenger seat.

"Spencer, honey, did you know that Emily and Stephanie saw each other the other night?" Pam asked.

"Yes..." Spencer admitted. "Emily called me that night and told me. I asked if she talked to you, she said she wasn't sure she wanted to tell you right away."

"I don't understand why she wouldn't have mentioned it."

"She thought you might be upset. She seemed a little shaken up when I talked to her. I think she just needed some time to adjust."

"Maybe." Pam nodded as she started the car and backed out of the parking lot.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Emily had been getting ready to leave work when she heard her phone chime. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had a new text from Spencer.

Hey. :) I need to tell you something.

Is everything okay?

Your mom and I were at the grocery store this afternoon and we ran into your ex...

Emily's heart sank as she read the message.

Oh God. You did? What happened?

She and your mom talked for a couple of minutes and she asked how you were. She told your mom that you guys saw each other at the bar.

Shit. Is my mom pissed?

I don't think she's pissed, she seemed surprised that you didn't tell her though. Are you coming home soon?

Yeah I'm getting ready to leave work now. Thanks for the heads up.

You're welcome. Drive safely. I love you.

I will. Love you too.

Emily sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. Dreading the inevitable conversation she was no doubt about to have with her mother.

* * *

"Mom...Spence?" Emily called out as she stepped in the front door. "You guys here?"

"We're in the kitchen." Pam called out.

"Hi." Emily said, walking into the kitchen.

Emily walked over to Spencer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Could you give me a minute with my mom?"

"Sure. I'm gonna go upstairs and call Hanna."

"Okay." Emily nodded. "Tell her I said hello." She watched as Spencer left the room.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Stephanie saw each other?" Pam looked up at Emily, she sounded disappointed.

"I didn't want you to get upset. It's not a big deal." Emily set her motorcycle helmet down on the kitchen island. "I saw her, we talked, it's over. You don't have to worry about it. It's not like I saw her and begged her to take me back, if that's what you're thinking."

"Of course not. But you two have a lot of history together. You were almost married to her, Emily, and you took care of her son for a year."

Emily squeezed her eyes shut, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her chest, hearing her mother refer to Bryce as Stephanie's son stung. Emily wondered for a moment if Pam ever really saw her as his mother at all or if she had just pretended the whole time.

"You've been through so much." Pam placed her hand on Emily's cheek. "I just don't want you to fall back into that. I want you to move forward with your life. Focus on your future."

"I am. Just a few months ago, if I would have run into Stephanie things probably would have been a lot different...if I didn't meet and fall in love with Spencer...if she hadn't shown me what love is supposed to feel like...I think I would have felt differently when I saw Stephanie again...I probably would have tried to get her to take me back. But when I saw her the other night, I didn't feel attracted to her. I didn't feel the tiniest bit of desire to be with her again. She's not the person I'm supposed with, I'm sure of that."

"That's good to hear." Pam wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"You don't have to worry about me." Emily said, wrapping her arms around her mother. "I finally feel like I know where I belong."

* * *

Early that evening, when Wayne returned home, he found Emily and Spencer cuddled together on the living room couch, watching TV.

"Em, do you think you could take a little bit of time before dinner and give me a hand putting a new alternator in my car?" Wayne asked. "It's needed replacing and I just don't want to drive my car out of town tomorrow night with it being on the fritz. I'd like to get it done while we still have some daylight to work with."

"Sure, dad. I'll meet you outside in a minute."

"Thanks. I'm just gonna run upstairs and change my clothes. I'll be right back."

"Can we continue this later?" Emily asked, placing a kiss to the side of Spencer's head.

"Definitely. Would it distract you if I came outside and watched you work on your dad's car?" Spencer asked.

"Uh, no...not at all."

"Would you mind working shirtless?" Spencer smirked. "I'd love to see you in just a sports bra, fixing things...with your hands..."

"I think it's just a little chilly for that." Emily laughed. "Would you settle for watching me fix things in a t shirt?" Emily stood up and slowly began unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing.

"Yes..." Spencer said, staring up at her girlfriend.

"Good." Emily finished unbuttoning her shirt, slipped it off and tossed it at Spencer before she began walking out of the room.

"Hey, wait for me." Spencer scrambled to her feet and followed Emily.

* * *

"Em, can you hand me that ratchet over there?" Wayne asked, motioning to the tool lying near his foot.

Emily bent down, picked up the tool and handed it to her father. Spencer stood in the driveway staring at her girlfriend. The material of the sleeves of Emily's plain white t shirt, wrinkled a little, straining around her biceps, being that the shirt was just a tad snug. Spencer loved that Emily always seemed to buy shirts that were just slightly too small.

When Emily turned to the side to watch her father, Spencer's eyes wandered to Emily's abdomen, not only did the architect's shirt accentuate her arms, it did a wonderful job of hugging the muscles of her abdomen perfectly. In an instant, Spencer found herself fantasizing about just ripping Emily's shirt off and running her hands all over her girlfriend's bare skin and hard muscles. Spencer closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she slowly exhaled as she found herself quickly becoming incredibly aroused.

"Can you get the bolts off?" Emily asked, glancing over at her father.

"I think so…" Wayne turned the ratchet. "There we go…" He said as the first bolt began to loosen.

Once Wayne had finished removing the remaining bolts, Emily bent down and reached into the car, Spencer stared as her girlfriend's t shirt began to ride up her back. Spencer had forgotten how much she had missed watching Emily perform manual labor. Emily lifted out the old alternator and set it down on the ground next to the car.

"That wasn't so bad." Emily said.

"Nope. Should be easy to put the new one in." Wayne replied. "But first I'm gonna go grab a bottle of water, you want one, Em?"

"Sure, dad. Thanks."

"Can I get you anything, Spencer?" Wayne asked.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine." Spencer smiled at Emily's father.

"All right. I'll be back in a minute."

Emily picked up a small shop rag and wiped off her hands as she walked over to her girlfriend.

"You know, I forgot how totally sexy you look all covered in dirt." Spencer stared down at Emily's shirt, which was now speckled with oil and dirt across her abdomen.

"You like when I get a little dirty, huh?" Emily smirked.

"How could I not?" Spencer drug her index finger through a spot of black dust on Emily's shirt, accumulating the dirt on her fingertip. "You're so hot." Spencer then flicked her dirt-covered finger over the tip of Emily's nose. "I can't wait to get you alone tomorrow night…"

Emily smiled, placed her hands on Spencer's hips and kissed her.

"Hey, you two." Wayne laughed. "There'll be plenty of time for kissing tomorrow night at midnight. That's what New Years is for, but right now, we've got a job to finish." Wayne handed a bottle of water to his daughter.

"Right." Emily laughed. "Let's get this out of the way so we can have dinner, I'm starving."

 

 

 


	64. Chapter 64

The next evening.

Emily returned home from work, carrying a black garment bag over her shoulder. She smiled to herself, unable to wipe the grin from her face. It wouldn't be long until she and Spencer would be off on their date, an entire uninterrupted evening of long overdue alone time, which they both desperately needed. Emily walked in the front door, there was no one in the living room or the kitchen, but both of her parents' cars were in the driveway, so she knew that they hadn't left yet.

Emily made her way upstairs; she walked down the hall to the guest room where Spencer was staying and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Spencer's voice called out from behind the door.

Upon receiving Spencer's reply to the knock, Emily turned the doorknob and stepped inside the room. She noticed Spencer standing and staring at a few dresses that were laid out on the bed.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hey, babe." Spencer turned and walked over to Emily, greeting her with a kiss, followed by a hug. "What's in the bag?" She asked when they pulled apart.

"Oh, just the suit I'm wearing tonight, that's all. I picked it up from the cleaners on the way home."

"What's it look like?"

"It's black. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"What color shirt are you wearing?"

"I haven't decided yet. You can pick one out for me if you want to."

"Sure. I'd love to."

"So...what are you up to?" Emily asked.

"Trying to figure out what to wear tonight. I brought a couple of dresses with me, but looking at them now, I kinda hate all of them..."

"Why don't you take a break from trying to pick an outfit. Come back later with a fresh pair of eyes. I'm sure you'll find something."

"That's a good idea. Maybe I'll take a quick shower. I can do my hair and stuff, then decide what to wear."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna take a shower too. It was warmer than expected today, I got really sweaty and I feel gross."

"I wish I could have been there watching you work. I love it when you get all hot and sweaty." Spencer said in a seductive tone, wrapping her arms around Emily.

Emily smirked, her knees buckling a little at Spencer's words.

"When you come home, I'll have to find some work for you to do. You know, my car could probably use a good tune up."

"Sure." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer. "Anything for you."

Spencer smiled, reached down and slid her hands into the back pockets of Emily's jeans, pressing her body tightly against the architect's. Emily almost dropped the garment bag she was still holding when she felt Spencer's hands grope her backside through her jeans.

"I really can't wait for our date, Em." Spencer removed her hands from Emily's pockets, moved them up her back and hugged her girlfriend.

"Neither can I." Emily placed her free hand on her girlfriend's back, returning the embrace.

Spencer buried her face into Emily's chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled, the faint scent of soap mixed with the scent of Emily's sweat flooded Spencer's nostrils.

"Why don't you come help me pick out a shirt?" Emily asked.

"Okay." Spencer smiled.

When they pulled apart, Emily placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder and guided her out of the room.

"Hi, honey." Pam said, walking down the hall while putting one of her earrings in. "You're home late."

"Oh, yeah. I had to stop and pick up my dry cleaning after work."

"You should have told me. I could have picked it up for you. I was there picking up my dress."

"It's okay. No big deal...you look great, by the way, mom."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"When are you and dad leaving?"

"Just as soon as he finishes getting dressed. What about you two?"

"Our dinner reservation is for eight thirty. We'll probably leave around seven thirty, seven forty five. I want to make sure we get there early."

"That's probably a good idea." Pam said. "Now, you are planning on taking a shower, aren't you? You smell like sweat and your hands are filthy."

"Yes, mom. Of course I'm taking a shower. Don't worry." Emily rolled her eyes.

"And make sure you put that shirt in your laundry basket." Pam said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to get all of the sweat stains out."

Just a moment later, Wayne stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the hall, straightening the tie he was wearing.

"Hi. Emmy. How was work?"

"It was all right. We got a lot done."

"Good. You ready?" Wayne asked, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"I'm ready."

"Great." Wayne leaned in and kissed Pam's cheek. "Let's get going."

"Before we go, do you need any money or anything?" Wayne pulled his wallet out of his pocket and looked at Emily.

"No, dad. I'm fine. Thanks." Emily smiled.

"All right." Wayne slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "You two have a good night." He glanced at Spencer, then back to Emily, placing his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Goodnight, girls." Pam said.

"Goodnight Missus Fields, Mister Fields, have a safe trip." Spencer said.

"Night, mom, night dad."

With that being said, Wayne placed his hand on Pam's shoulder, guiding her down the hall, just as Emily had done with Spencer only a few minutes ago.

"Your parents are so cute." Spencer said, turning to Emily. "Come on, let's go pick you out a shirt."

Spencer took Emily's hand in her own and led the architect to the bedroom. Emily set the garment bag down on the bed as Spencer walked over to the closet. She riffled through a few shirts before pulling one out of the closet.

"Here. I like this one." Spencer said, handing the shirt to her girlfriend.

"Purple?" Emily groaned and rolled her eyes.

"It's not purple. If you wanna get technical, it's called ox blood. It's more of a burgundy, but you could always wear that nice bright pink one you have shoved in the back of the closet there."

"Uh, I think this one's fine." Emily answered quickly, tossing the shirt onto the bed.

"Good." Spencer chuckled.

"I'm gonna go jump in the shower. I'll be quick." Emily said.

"Kay. You need any help getting undressed?" Spencer smirked, fingering the hem of Emily's t shirt.

"I could always use a hand."

Spencer grasped the bottom of Emily's shirt and slowly pulled it upward. Emily lifted her arms and ducked her head a little so that Spencer could remove the article of clothing. Spencer turned around and threw the shirt into the laundry basket near the closet.

"Here's a sight I'll never get tired of." Spencer smiled, her eyes wandering all over Emily's bare stomach and still covered breasts. "And to think, I get you all to myself tonight."

Emily inhaled sharply, when she felt Spencer's palm pressed flat against her stomach, just above her belt buckle. After a moment, Spencer's hand slipped down, quickly being joined by her other hand, Emily felt Spencer unbuckling her belt.

"Wait." Emily said, placing her own hands on top of Spencer's.

"What's wrong?" Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes, a little confused.

"It's just that, if I let you take my pants off, I know there's no way we'll make our dinner reservation."

"That's probably true." Spencer laughed. "Go take your shower, I'll get in when you're done."

* * *

Once Spencer finished her own shower, she wrapped herself in a towel, pulled back the curtain and stepped out. She plugged in her blow dryer and spent the next twenty five minutes drying and tousling her hair until she was satisfied with her wavy brunette locks. Spencer then took her time doing her make up, part of her making sure she looked perfect for Emily, the other part putting off having to still pick out an outfit. Spencer put the finishing touches on her mascara and left the bathroom. She headed down the hall, when she opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, she immediately noticed that there was one dress lying in the middle of the bed, but it wasn't one that she had brought with her. Spencer walked over to the bed and picked up the dress. It was a short, black strapless dress with a shiny gold strip around the waist. Spencer recognized the dress, it was made by Gucci and she remembered seeing it in the window of Neiman Marcus on a shopping trip to the local Rosewood mall with her friends. Spencer checked the label, discovering that the dress was exactly her size. On the bed, along with the dress, there was a pair of shiny black Louboutin heels and a note with her name written across the front. Spencer laid the dress back down and unfolded the note.

Spencer,

I told you that you'd figure out what to wear. Please meet me downstairs whenever you're ready. I'll be waiting, thinking about you in this dress. I know you're going to look absolutely stunning and I can't wait to take you out tonight. I love you so much.

Love,

Em.

"Oh my God." Spencer said aloud, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

For a moment, she thought about picking up her phone and calling her friends just to gloat about how romantic her girlfriend is, but at this point, Spencer was much too excited to get downstairs to Emily.

* * *

When Spencer had gotten dressed, she grabbed her wallet and shoved it into her purse before heading downstairs. The brunette slowly made her way down the stairs, where she noticed Emily sitting on the couch staring down at her phone. When Spencer reached the third stair from the bottom, the wood creaked underneath her foot, causing Emily to look up. Upon catching a glimpse of Spencer, Emily's jaw dropped wide open as she stood up. She shoved her phone into her pants pocket and stared across the room at her girlfriend. The dress hugged Spencer's slender curves perfectly. It showed off just enough cleavage and plenty of Spencer's long, toned legs.

"Wow. You look...so beautiful." Emily said, walking over to Spencer. "I knew you would. Do you like the dress and the shoes?" Emily took Spencer's hands in her own and looked down her body.

As her eyes made their way back up, they stopped at Spencer's breasts. Spencer smiled to herself, loving the fact that Emily was so focused on her chest.

"I love the heels and the dress is gorgeous." Spencer let go of Emily's hand and placed her index finger underneath her chin, lifting her head until their eyes met. "You picked the perfect outfit and in my exact size too, how did you know?"

"Well, truth is, I had a little help. When I got off work, I headed over to the mall and I looked around, but I'm pretty much hopeless when it comes to clothes...so I called Hanna for some assistance."

"My Hanna?"

"Of course." Emily laughed. "We video chatted and she helped me pick an outfit. It was almost like having her in the store with me. The salesgirls looked at me like I was crazy, walking around showing different dresses to my phone, but I thought who knows your style better than your best friends? We looked at a lot of stuff, but Hanna thought this dress would look incredible on you and she was definitely right. Then I thought, what's a brand new dress without brand new shoes to match? So she helped me pick out the heels too."

"Aw. Em. You're amazing and the most romantic girlfriend ever." Spencer leaned forward and hugged Emily tight. "Thank you so much. I really love the dress and the heels and most of all I love you."

"I love you too." Emily pulled back from the embrace and leaned down to kiss Spencer.

"So...I'm glad you like the outfit. I have something else for you to go with it..." Emily reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out a large, rectangular black felt box. "Now...this I actually did pick out myself, but Hanna approved of it...I really hope you like it..." Emily handed the box to her girlfriend.

Spencer smiled and took the box from Emily's hand, she opened the lid, the hinge creaking. Inside the box was a large, beautiful diamond pendant hanging on a gold chain.

"Oh, Em." Spencer's eyes lit up. "It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you."

Emily smiled brightly, her heart soaring.

"May I?" Emily asked, taking the pendant from the box and unclasping it.

"Please." Spencer nodded.

Spencer held her hair up as Emily placed the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp.

"It suits you." Emily said. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Thank you...for the compliment and for all of this. This outfit alone must have cost you a fortune..."

"I'm happy to give it to you. You're absolutely worth it." Emily lifted Spencer's hand to her lips and kissed it.

Spencer felt her knees go a little weak at the gesture. No one had ever been this romantic with her before.

"Now, we better get going." Emily walked back over to the couch and picked up a short sweater.

Emily held the sweater out and waited for Spencer to slip her arms through. Emily then took Spencer's hand in her own and they walked to the door. When they got outside, Spencer noticed a black stretch limousine, parked in the Fields' driveway. The chauffeur was standing with the back door open, waiting.

"Oh my God. You rented us a limo too?" Spencer said, looking up at Emily.

"Yep. I thought it'd be a little more fun than taking my mom's car. Come on."

"Good evening, ladies." The driver said as Spencer and Emily approached the car.

"Evening." Emily smiled at the driver, before turning her attention to Spencer. "After you." Emily motioned for Spencer to get into the car.

"Please take the long route to the restaurant." Emily said, pulling a few bills from her pocket and handing them to the driver.

"Certainly." He smiled.

Emily then got into the car, next to her girlfriend and the driver shut the door.

"We've got around a half an hour ride to the restaurant, how about a drink?" Emily leaned forward and opened the mini-fridge.

The architect pulled a dark green bottle from the fridge and picked up two champagne flutes.

"Should I be drinking in here?" Spencer asked. "What if they find out I'm underage?"

"Don't worry. It's only sparkling cider. I asked specifically for non-alcoholic drinks."

"Can you hold these for a second?" Emily asked, handing the glasses to Spencer.

Emily removed the lid from the bottle and filled both of the glasses, she then placed the bottle back into the refrigerator and took one of the glasses from Spencer.

"Should we toast?" Spencer asked, looking up into Emily's dark eyes.

"Yes. I think we should." Emily nodded. "Here's to a happy and healthy new year and to a great evening with a gorgeous girl."

Spencer smiled and blushed a little as she and Emily clanged their glasses together before raising them to their lips.

"I can't believe you did all of this for me." Spencer said, placing her free hand on Emily's thigh.

"Why wouldn't you believe it?" Emily shifted in her seat a little and looked into Spencer eyes. "You're an amazing girl who deserves nothing but the very best."

Spencer smiled and moved closer to Emily. Emily moved her glass to her opposite hand and put her arm around her girlfriend. Spencer cuddled up to Emily, laying her head on the architect's shoulder.

"So...have you ever ridden in a limo before?" Spencer asked.

"Never." Emily said, taking another drink from her glass.

"Really? Not even to like prom or anything?"

"Nope. I actually didn't go to my prom."

"You didn't go to your prom? Why not?" Spencer asked, glancing up at Emily with curious eyes.

"Well, I was supposed to go, but my date came down with a bad case of tonsillitis and had to get her tonsils removed a few days before prom, she could barely talk and she still wasn't feeling very well, so I spent prom night at her house, eating ice cream and watching movies the whole night."

"Aw. You're such a sweetheart. Was your date a girlfriend?"

"No." Emily laughed. "I was about as deep in the friendzone with her as you could get. I wasn't even planning to go to prom because I couldn't find a date, but her boyfriend broke up with her a few weeks before and since she already had the tickets, she asked if I'd take her. I'm not sure if she was trying to make the guy jealous or she wanted to make a statement by going with a girl or what. I don't know. I never asked."

"I can't believe you didn't have a date to begin with. Weren't there any cute girls at your school?"

"There were plenty, I was just too shy to ask any of them. Any girl I dated in high school approached me first. Having the awful coming out experience that I had really screwed up my confidence."

"But, you've overcome that."

"It's true. As I've grown up I've become more confident in myself, but I still get shy sometimes...usually around you. I just don't wanna mess up..."

"You couldn't if you tried, Em. You're pretty much perfect."

"I don't know about that, but I'm glad you think so."

Emily placed her index finger underneath Spencer's chin and leaned down to kiss the brunette. Spencer closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. The night was only just beginning, but Spencer already knew that she never wanted it to end.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into ordering pigeon." Emily said as she and Spencer waited for their food.

"Well, I'm very persuasive." Spencer said matter-of-factly. "But, you'll like it. I told you it tastes like chicken, just darker meat."

"I'm trusting you." Emily laughed.

Spencer laughed too.

"You want an oyster while you wait for your dinner?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, no thanks. You eat them." Emily stared across the table at the shellfish on her girlfriend's plate.

"Have you ever tried one?" Spencer asked, noticing the slightly disgusted expression on Emily's face.

"Well, no..." Emily shook her head.

"So try one. They're good. I get them at the country club all the time." Spencer picked up one of the oysters and placed it on the small plate that Emily's dinner roll had been sitting on a few minutes earlier. "Oysters are supposedly a huge aphrodisiac, you know."

"True, but I definitely don't need any help when it comes to getting turned on. You do an amazing job on your own..."

Spencer smiled brightly and her skin grew warm, she knew she was blushing, although Emily wouldn't have been able to tell in the candlelight.

"But...I'll try an oyster if you want me to."

"Why don't you put a little bit of lemon juice on it for flavor?" Spencer reached across the table and handed a lemon wedge to Emily.

Emily squeezed the lemon into the oyster shell.

"Here. Take this." Spencer handed a tiny fork to her girlfriend.

"So...what do I do, just like dig the meat out of there or what?"

"Yep. I mean you don't have to like go at it like a barbarian." Spencer laughed. "It should slide out pretty easily."

"I can be gentle." Emily said as she slid the fork into the shell.

"I know." Spencer smiled. "I love that about you."

Once Emily had pulled the oyster out of the shell, she lifted it to her mouth, hesitating for a moment.

"Don't just swallow it. Make sure you chew." Spencer said.

"Okay." Emily swallowed hard and slipped the oyster into her mouth. She chewed a few times before swallowing.

"Well, how was it?" Spencer asked.

"A little slimy and kinda salty, but definitely not the worst thing I've ever eaten. You're so much braver than I am when it comes to food."

"I want you to get more adventurous, someday we can travel all over the world and try all kinds of exotic foods."

"How about if I just pay for the exotic foods and you can eat them." Emily laughed. "I'll just watch."

"You're adorable." Spencer laughed too. "You want some more of these?" Spencer motioned to her oysters. "I've still got nine left. I'll split them with you."

"No, thanks. You finish them. I'd much rather split dessert with you." Emily said, raising her wine glass to her lips.

"That sounds great...so how's the wine here?"

"It's really good. I'm impressed."

"Can I have a sip?"

"Sure." Emily set her glass down and slid it across the table.

Spencer picked up the glass and swished the wine around before raising the glass to her lips.

"What do you think?" Emily asked.

"I like it. You picked a good one." Spencer handed the glass back to Emily.

A few minutes later, the waiter returned with their dinner.

"Roasted squab for you." The waiter said, setting a plate down in front of Emily. "And salmon for you." He placed the other plate in front of Spencer. "Can I get you ladies anything else right now?"

"No, I think we're fine, thank you." Emily said.

"All right. Enjoy your dinner." The waiter smiled at Emily, then at Spencer.

"Thank you." Emily replied.

"The squab looks good." Spencer said.

"It does. It looks like chicken..." Emily poked the meat with her fork a little.

"Try it. What are you waiting for?"

Emily picked up her knife and carved out a small chunk of meat. She raised the fork to her mouth and placed the meat onto her tongue. She chewed a few times and swallowed.

"Well?" Spencer said, staring across the table.

"I like it. It does taste a little like chicken."

"I told you." Spencer smiled, taking a bite of salmon. "You need to trust me more. So, I forgot to ask…are we stopping by your boss's party after we leave here?"

"I know I mentioned maybe going, but we don't have to."

"It could be a really good opportunity for you to do some networking, babe."

"Maybe, but I really just wanna spend the night with you."

"I wanna spend the night with you too. And we'll be together, but I think it'd be good for your career. I think you should go. Stop by, mingle a little bit, we'll count down to midnight, then we can head back to your place."

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. If nothing else, you can at least show off your super hot date." A sly smirk crept across Spencer's face.

"That's true." Emily smiled brightly in the candlelight. "I'm a really lucky girl."

"Hey...Spence." Emily said, reaching across the table and taking the brunette's hand in her own. "Thank you."

"For what?" Spencer asked, staring into Emily's eyes, the candlelight flickering and casting a shadow over the architect's face.

"Everything. For being sweet and thinking about what's good for me, for caring, for being my date tonight, for always sticking by my side. Honestly, just for everything you've ever done for me. You've given me so much these past few months. I'm really grateful to have you in my life." Emily gently stroked Spencer's hand with her thumb.

"Aw, Em. I'm really grateful to have you too. Being here with you is amazing. You're amazing and so sweet. I love you." Spencer said, giving Emily's hand a small squeeze.

"I love you too."

* * *

Later that night.

"You know, Emily, I'm really glad you could make it tonight." Anthony, Emily's boss, said.

"Me too, sir. Thank you for inviting my girlfriend and I." Emily said, sincerely. "That was really nice of you."

"You're very welcome. It's been nice to have the chance to meet the girl you have your eye on. She sure seems like a keeper to me."

Spencer smiled, her arms linked around Emily's elbow.

"She is." Emily said. "Very much so."

"Good to hear. So, do you have any other jobs lined up for after you finish the Army base?"

"Nothing solid. I'm going to head back to Pennsylvania. By then it'll be spring, so I should be able to find some work designing and building houses during the summer."

"The reason I ask is that I have a friend who's a businessman and entrepreneur, he's planning on expanding the supermarket franchise he owns out east and the Philadelphia area is one of the places he's thinking of building a new store and he'll need an architect soon, he asked if I knew of anyone. I'd like to give you a recommendation, if you're interested, of course."

"Yes. Absolutely. Thank you."

"Great. I can't make any promises, but I'll definitely put in a good word for you."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. You've got the talent, the work ethic and the skills. Not to mention you've been very personable and wonderful to work with. You're gonna go far as an architect, just wait and see."

Anthony extended his hand to Emily.

"Thank you, again, sir. I really do appreciate it." Emily took his hand and gave it a firm handshake.

"It's almost midnight. Everyone get their champagne ready." Anthony's wife, a tall slender blonde said.

"Here's one for you." She handed a half full champagne flute to Emily.

"Thank you."

"And for you." The woman handed a glass to Spencer.

"Oh I probably shouldn't..." Spencer hesitated.

"It's New Years." Anthony said. "A sip of champagne won't hurt." He smiled at Spencer.

"Okay." Spencer smiled back at Anthony, before taking the glass from his wife. "Thank you."

It was just a few minutes to midnight when everyone gathered around the large, flat screen television that hung on the wall to watch the famous crystal ball make it's descent in Times Square to begin the new year.

At only seconds until midnight, everyone began counting down simultaneously with the crowd on the television screen.

"...five...four...three...two...one..."

When the clock struck midnight, 'Happy New Years' went all around the room as everyone drank their champagne and kissed their partner.

Emily and Spencer clanged their glasses together and swallowed down their champagne.

"Happy New Year, Spence." Emily said, leaning her forehead against Spencer's.

"Happy New Year, Em." Spencer said, placing her hand on Emily's cheek as their lips met for the first time in the new year.

Emily and Spencer held the kiss for a few long moments. When they broke apart, Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her.

"What do you say, we head back to your place?" Spencer whispered into Emily's ear. "Now, I really wanna celebrate with you and only you."

"I'll...call the limo." Emily broke the embrace and pulled her phone from her pocket.

When the limo arrived, Emily and Spencer said their final goodbyes and thank yous to Anthony and his wife before heading outside, hand in hand, where the limo driver was standing outside the car. Emily waited for Spencer to get inside the car first, then she got in next to her girlfriend and the driver shut the door.

"I can't wait to get back to your house." Spencer said, leaning over and firmly planting her lips against Emily's.

Emily's hands quickly tangled themselves into Spencer's hair as she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, slowly brushing her tongue along Spencer's bottom lip. Spencer leaned hard into Emily's body, her tongue meeting the architect's and wrestling it for dominance. Spencer's hands wandered from Emily's face, down her shoulders and arms and up to her face once again as they kissed. Spencer broke the kiss in order to take in a breath, but in an instant, her lips were back on Emily's. Spencer groaned a little, feeling Emily's hand on her thigh, just below the hem of her dress. A few moments later, Emily felt Spencer's lips travel downward. Spencer began kissing Emily's neck and roughly sucking on her pulse point. Spencer undid the top button on the architect's shirt, she pulled the material away from her skin and began kissing the junction between Emily's neck and shoulder.

* * *

When the limo finally came to a stop in the Fields' driveway, Emily and Spencer quickly took a moment to compose themselves before the driver opened the door. They got out of the limo, Emily thanked and tipped the driver before making her way to the front door with Spencer glued to her side. Emily fished her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door, she waited for Spencer to go inside, then she followed, closing and locking the door behind them. Emily turned around and kissed Spencer before taking her hand and leading her upstairs. Once they got to the bedroom, Emily closed the door and Spencer slipped out of her heels. Emily leaned Spencer against the door as their lips crashed together. The architect slid her hands over Spencer's shoulders and gingerly began to slip Spencer's sweater off. Spencer straightened her arms, allowing the sweater to slide downward and fall to the floor.

Emily took both of Spencer's hands in her own, lifted them up and pinned them against the door, above the brunette's head. Emily squeezed Spencer's hands as she broke the kiss, her lips traveling downward to kiss Spencer's neck.

"Em..." Spencer moaned, leaning her head back as she felt Emily gently suck on her pulse point.

After a few minutes, Emily released Spencer's hands, her arms fell to Emily's shoulders, hands burying themselves in Emily's thick, dark hair as her lips connected with the architect's again. Without breaking the kiss, Spencer's hands slipped downward, over Emily's chest and settled at one of the buttons on Emily's suit jacket, the bottom button was already undone, so Spencer made quick work of the top button and slid Emily's jacket off of her shoulders. Spencer's hands fumbled a little, not being able to work fast enough as they began to undo the buttons on the architect's shirt. As she reached the last few buttons, Spencer could feel Emily's hands frantically groping all over her back, presumably searching for the zipper on her dress.

"It's down…the right side, babe." Spencer mumbled into the kiss.

"Thanks." Emily chuckled a little against Spencer's lips.

Emily's hand maneuvered it's way over to the side of Spencer's dress, she took the zipper between her fingers and pulled it downward. Emily quickly pushed the material down, past Spencer's black strapless bra, further down her abdomen, down her hips past the brunette's red lace panties, until the dress fell to the floor in a heap at Spencer's feet.

"Sorry my underwear doesn't match." Spencer said, breaking the kiss to take in a breath.

"I don't care." Emily said, in a deep husky tone, her hands sliding up over Spencer's breasts.

Emily placed her hands on either side of Spencer's face and slipped her tongue back into the brunette's mouth. As they kissed, Emily stepped on the back of her own shoe with her opposite foot, once her foot was free, she kicked off her shoe and did the same with the opposite one and ridded herself of her socks as quickly as possible.

Spencer was eventually the first to break the kiss, she placed her hand on Emily's chest, in between the two open halves of her shirt and trailed it downward, between Emily's breasts. Emily inhaled a sharp breath and glanced down, her eyes following Spencer's fingers as they traced the outline of her defined abdominal muscles. When Spencer's hand, reached the top of her pants, Emily bent down, placed her forearm behind her girlfriend's knees and with a hand on the middle of the brunette's back, Emily effortlessly scooped Spencer up in strong arms. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, clinging tightly to the architect as she carried her across the room. Emily bent down again, very gently laid Spencer on the bed and slowly climbed on top of her, straddling her thighs. They locked eyes as Emily hovered above Spencer, their faces only a few inches apart.

"I love you, Spencer." Emily said softly, never breaking eye contact with the brunette.

"I love you too..." Spencer replied, reaching up and placing her hand on Emily's cheek.

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's. Spencer closed her eyes and opened her mouth, allowing Emily to slip her tongue inside. As they kissed, Spencer slid her hands up Emily's abdomen and chest, she lifted the shirt off of her shoulders. Emily leaned back on her knees and pulled her shirt off, before tossing it to the floor. She then leaned back down, her lips connecting with Spencer's again. Spencer's hands quickly found the hooks on Emily's bra, she fumbled a little, but eventually undid the hooks and let the garment slip down. Emily took her own bra and tossed it away. Spencer's hands roamed all over her girlfriend's bare back and taut shoulders.

"Emily..." Spencer moaned, feeling the architect begin kissing her neck.

Spencer dug her fingernails into Emily's shoulders, leaving crescent-shaped marks all over her tan skin as she felt the architect's hips grinding down into her own.

Spencer writhed a little on the bed, her hands quickly moved from Emily's shoulders, down her sides and around to the front of her pants. Spencer tugged on Emily's belt buckle, releasing it. She then undid the button and zipper on Emily's pants and pushed them down her girlfriend's hips, as far as she could get them. Emily kissed Spencer's lips again, she used one hand to support herself and the other to yank her pants downward until she was able to kick them the rest of the way off. Emily reached underneath Spencer's body and unhooked her bra, glad that the bra was strapless and wouldn't require much maneuvering; she pinched the material between her fingers and thumb and tossed it away. Emily immediately began kissing down Spencer's chest, only stopping to pay her girlfriend's breasts some much needed attention. Spencer's core throbbed as she felt Emily's lips close around one of her nipples.

"Mmm...Em..." Spencer groaned loudly, as Emily began sucking on her nipple.

"Em, lower. Please..." Spencer begged, her body aching with desire.

Emily slid down Spencer's body, leaned back and grasped Spencer's panties in both hands, pulling them downward. When Emily reached Spencer's feet, she pulled her panties off and tossed them back over her shoulder, leaving Spencer completely naked, except for the diamond necklace around her neck. Emily spread Spencer's legs apart and quickly got in between them.

"Em?" Spencer said, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Yeah?" Emily stared up into Spencer's eyes.

"I want you to be naked too."

"You got it." Emily smiled and reached for her own underwear.

Once Emily was fully naked, she slowly dipped her head down and licked in a single motion, her tongue gliding up Spencer's center.

"God...Em..." Spencer sighed, sinking down into the pillows beneath her head.

Emily continued a very slow up and down pace. After a few more strokes, Emily stopped. She climbed back up Spencer's body and hovered over her face

"Can I tell you something?" Emily asked.

Spencer nodded, placing her hand on Emily's cheek.

"You...taste..." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer's neck. "Amazing." Emily said softly into the brunette's ear.

The architect then pressed her lips to Spencer's, slipping her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth. Spencer closed her eyes as Emily's tongue worked against her own. Emily's hand snaked its way down Spencer's body, she gently entered the brunette with two fingers and began slowly pumping in and out.

"God...faster." Spencer choked out, clenching the bed sheets in her fists.

Emily increased her pace as she leaned down and began kissing Spencer's neck and chest. After a few moments, Spencer released her hold on the sheets and moved her hand to Emily's arm, which the architect was using to support the majority of her own body weight. Spencer wrapped her fingers around Emily's forearm and gave it a squeeze. Emily's lips connected with Spencer's again, this time the kiss was much more desperate and passionate. Spencer spread her legs a little further apart and tangled her hands into Emily's silky, raven hair. As Emily increased her pace, she groaned at the sensation of Spencer's nails now digging into the skin of her back and shoulders.

"Fuck." Emily mumbled into the kiss as Spencer raked her nails down her back, the architect could feel herself growing wetter with each passing moment.

A few minutes later, Emily pulled her fingers out of Spencer's body, she leaned down and kissed Spencer passionately one more time before sliding down her body and settling between her legs once more. Emily's tongue darted out and began licking Spencer up and down.

"Em..." Spencer moaned, slipping her fingers into Emily's hair and pushing her head downward. "Don't stop."

Emily began licking faster, changing her up and down motion every so often. Emily brought her hand up and slipped her index and middle fingers back into Spencer's center. Emily pumped in and out, never slowing her tongue in the process.

"God. I'm almost there..." Spencer cried out, tightly squeezing her eyes shut.

Emily then took Spencer's clit into her mouth and began sucking. It wasn't long until she felt Spencer begin to contract around her fingers. Knowing that it wouldn't take much more, Emily alternated between sucking and licking, driving Spencer closer and closer to the edge. Spencer opened her eyes and stared down at Emily's head, bobbing up and down between her legs. She could feel her orgasm drawing near and then an overwhelming sensation of pleasure coursed through her entire body. Her muscles tensed, her eyes fluttered shut and her hips raised up off of the bed.

"Emily!" Spencer cried out, taking a firm grip on Emily's hair as she climaxed.

Emily continued licking Spencer's now overly sensitive clit and continued pumping her fingers in and out, gradually slowing her pace as Spencer's orgasm began to wind down. When Emily's fingers stopped, she gently pulled out as Spencer released the grip she held on Emily's hair. Emily kissed her way up Spencer's abdomen, up her chest and neck and hovered over her girlfriend's body. Spencer slowly opened her eyes, where she was met by Emily's darker ones and a soft smile. Emily stared down at Spencer, tiny beads of sweat collected on Spencer's chest as it heaved up and down, slowly returning to a normal rhythm. The diamond around Spencer's neck glittered as it caught the moonlight that peeked in through the window.

"You know, you're even more beautiful after you come." Emily stared down into Spencer's eyes, enjoying the brunette's post-orgasm glow.

"I'm a total mess." Spencer said, brushing a sweaty lock of hair from her face.

"No, you're not. You're always beautiful." Emily leaned down and captured Spencer's lips with her own.

Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head and pulled her down so that their naked bodies were pressed tightly together. Finding a sudden burst of strength and with lips still locked together, Spencer rolled over, quickly flipping positions with Emily, which was no simple task being that Emily's body is considerably larger than her own. Emily shuddered a little when she felt Spencer's lips on her neck. Emily placed one of her hands behind Spencer's head and ran her fingers through the brunette's hair. Spencer laid down so that the full weight of her body was on top of Emily and her knee in between the architect's thighs. Emily groaned and closed her eyes, the sensation of Spencer's knee making contact with her center along with Spencer's breasts rubbing against her own was driving Emily crazy. Spencer slowly trailed her hand down the side of Emily's body and over her thigh, stopping at her center. Spencer hesitated for a moment, although this wasn't their first time having sex, Spencer felt a little nervous, as she had yet to experience what it felt like being inside of Emily. She didn't even know if it was something that Emily liked or not. Spencer suddenly broke the kiss, causing Emily to open her eyes.

"Is it okay?" Spencer asked softly. "I know I've never gone inside…"

"It's fine." Emily smiled, reaching up and pushing a lock of hair back behind Spencer's ear.

Emily pulled Spencer down for another heated, passion-filled kiss. Spencer slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth, the flavor of her own juices still lingered behind on Emily's tongue. As their tongues wrestled, Spencer used one of her hands to push Emily's legs a little further apart. Spencer tentatively pushed her index and middle fingers inside of her girlfriend. Spencer experienced only a slight resistance at first as she slowly began moving her fingers in and out, her pace increasing as she became more comfortable.

"Fuck, Spence." Emily grunted into the kiss. "Keep going."

Spencer happily obliged. She pulled her fingers almost all the way out before pushing them back inside. Emily was wet and warm and Spencer loved the feeling of her girlfriend squeezing her fingers. It felt different from any time that Spencer had ever entered herself. Being inside Emily felt almost as good as having Emily inside of her. Almost. Spencer eventually pulled her fingers out and made her way down Emily's body. Spencer laid soft kisses down Emily's jaw, neck and chest. She continued kissing further down Emily's abdomen, stopping just short of her girlfriend's center.

"Please, Spence…" Emily said, breathlessly, her desperate need for release making concentrating on anything else extremely difficult.

Spencer smiled to herself, she dipped her head down and slowly began licking Emily up and down at a torturously slow pace.

"Mmmm…fuck that's good…" Emily groaned and closed her eyes, slipping her fingers into Spencer's hair.

Spencer steadily increased the pace she used with her tongue, she brought her fingers up and rubbed small, quick circles on Emily's clit to supplement the use of her tongue.

"Fuck…Spencer…don't stop…" Emily's hands left Spencer's hair and tightly gripped the sheets on the bed.

Spencer smirked. She loved hearing Emily moan her name and she loved the fact that although Emily didn't curse much in everyday life, she swore like a sailor in the bedroom. Emily clenched the sheets so hard in her fists that her knuckles turned white. It was only a matter of a few minutes later that Emily began raising her hips up off of the bed to meet the strokes of Spencer's tongue and the motion of her fingers. Emily knew she was dangerously close to orgasm, she tried to calm herself, not wanting to come so soon, but Spencer's tongue felt too good, Emily couldn't help but lose control. Emily felt a strong tightening sensation building deep within the pit of her stomach, she squeezed her eyes shut as her breathing rapidly increased and all of a sudden orgasm hit her fast and hard.

"Fuck…Spence…mmmm…" Emily moaned, loudly, her fists still clenched tightly around the bed sheets and her hips bucking off of the bed.

Spencer wrapped her hands around Emily's thighs to steady her as she continued licking, prolonging Emily's climax as much as she could. When Emily began to settle down from her high, she slowly opened her eyes, let go of the sheets and propped herself up on her elbows, staring down at Spencer, who was now climbing up her body. Without saying a word, Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's, holding the kiss for a few long moments. When they broke apart, Spencer laid down on the bed next to Emily so that they were shoulder to shoulder. Emily took a few moments to catch her breath, she then rolled over on the bed toward the nightstand.

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked.

"Nowhere. I just wanna turn this light on." Emily said as she flipped the switch of the lamp on her nightstand.

Before Emily could roll back over, Spencer caught a glimpse of Emily's bare back and shoulders in the light.

"Oh my God…" Spencer said, running her hand over the scratches on Emily's shoulder where her tattoo was down over the scratch marks on her back.

"What? What's wrong?" Emily quickly turned over to face her girlfriend.

"I really scratched your back…I'm so sorry…I…"

"Babe, don't apologize." Emily moved closer to Spencer and kissed her nose. "I really like it when you mark me up. It turns me on."

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you or anything?"

"Positive." Emily smiled. "Don't worry."

Spencer retuned the smile and wrapped her arms around the architect, laying her head on Emily's chest.

"I see most of my lipstick ended up all over your neck." Spencer reached up and used the heel of her hand to wipe some of the smudged lipstick from the junction between Emily's neck and shoulder.

"I'm not surprised. You couldn't keep your hands off of me in the limo." Emily laughed.

"Hey, is it my fault that you're sweet and romantic and charming and that happens to turn me on? Not to mention, seeing you in a suit gets me really hot."

"Seriously?" Emily smirked.

"Yes. Are you kidding? You look so sexy when you get all dressed up." Spencer reached up and placed a kiss on Emily's lips. "So…anyway…was I, you know…okay? I'm getting better, right?"

"Spence, you were great." Emily said, placing a kiss to the top of the brunette's head. "Stop being so self conscious about your performance, you're amazing. If I didn't know better, I never would have guessed that you were a virgin before you slept with me, you know exactly what to do…I have to admit though, I'm a little embarrassed…I really thought I'd last longer than that…I've usually been pretty good about controlling myself…"

"It's okay." Spencer gently rubbed Emily's stomach with her fingers. "We've got all night, remember?"

"That's true. We should really make this night count."

"Oh believe me, I fully intend to…so…you ready to go again?" Spencer asked, shifting her position and climbing on top of Emily once again.

"Ready if you are." Emily placed her hand behind Spencer's head and pulled her down into a very heated lip-lock.

 

 


	65. Chapter 65

Spencer slowly opened her eyes as she felt Emily's arms tighten around her body, pulling her even closer. Emily nestled her face into the crook of Spencer's neck, placing soft kisses all over sensitive skin. Spencer smiled to herself and melted back into Emily's body, she placed her hand on top of the architect's and laced their fingers together. Spencer closed her eyes once again, almost drifting back to sleep, but she felt a chill race up and down her spine at her girlfriend's touch. After a few minutes, Spencer rolled over to face Emily.

"Good morning." Emily smiled as her eyes met Spencer's.

"Morning." Spencer returned the smile.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Great. How could it not have been great? Your arms were around me the whole time."

"I wasn't about to let you go...I have to tell you, last night was amazing." Emily said reaching up and brushing a stray lock of hair from Spencer's forehead. "You were amazing."

"So were you." Spencer moved closer to Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect.

"I'm gonna miss you so much when you leave on Sunday." Emily rolled over onto her back and placed her arm around Spencer.

"I'll miss you too." Spencer sighed. "Maybe I can convince my parents to let me stay a couple of extra days, I mean if that'd be okay with your parents."

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind, but you have school, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm light years ahead in all of my classes." Spencer reached underneath the blanket and gently traced random shapes over Emily's bare abdomen with her fingers. "And who knows when I'll get to see you again?"

"I know. This arrangement just sucks. I leave, then we finally get some time together and then you have to leave. But if your parents would let you stay a few more days, that would be awesome."

"I'll call my mom later." Spencer said, laying her head on Emily's chest. "But just think, when you come home it'll be spring, then it won't be long until summer, I won't have school and we can wake up like this every morning."

"Until your dad figures out that your sleepovers with Hanna are actually sleepovers with me. And naked ones at that." Emily laughed.

"You need to stop being such a downer, babe." Spencer chuckled, looking up at Emily.

"Sorry." Emily smiled and leaned down to press her lips to Spencer's.

Spencer shifted her position so that she was now lying on top of Emily, while still remaining underneath the blanket. Emily's hands slowly slid up Spencer's bare back and buried themselves in the brunette's hair. Spencer closed her eyes and sighed happily into the kiss. As they kissed, Emily's phone began ringing, much to her own displeasure as well as Spencer's. Emily broke the kiss and groaned. Spencer rolled off of Emily as the architect reached over the side of the bed for the pants she had worn last night. She fished her phone out of the pocket and checked the caller ID to see that it was her mother on the other end.

"Hi, mom." Emily said, accepting the call.

"Hi, sweetie. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nope. I was already up."

"Good. How was your night? Did you and Spencer have a good time?"

"We had a great time. It was the best New Years I've ever had." Emily said propping herself up on one elbow.

"What time did you two make it home?"

"It was some time around one, I think. We stopped off at my boss's party and stayed there until a little after midnight. How was your night?"

"It was nice. Your father was happy to reconnect with his friends. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that we're getting ready to leave Austin now, we'll be home in about an hour and a half."

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Did you and Spencer eat yet?"

"Not yet."

Spencer moved closer to Emily and nestled her face into the crook of her neck.

"Maybe it'd be nice if you cooked Spencer some breakfast."

"I think cooking Spencer breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea." Emily said placing her arm around her girlfriend.

Spencer glanced over and smiled at Emily.

"There are some fresh blueberries in the fridge. You could make pancakes or something."

"That sounds great, thanks mom."

"You're welcome. I just want to make sure you're being a good host."

"Of course I am."

"Good. Well, we should get going. We'll see you both in a little while."

"Okay. See you soon. Have a safe trip home."

"Thank you, honey."

"Bye, mom."

Emily then ended the call and set her phone over on the nightstand.

"So...your mom told you to make me breakfast, huh?" Spencer smirked.

"Yep. She suggested blueberry pancakes, but I was thinking more so big blueberry Belgian waffles from scratch, if that's all right with you, of course."

"Belgian waffles sound amazing."

"Perfect. My mom said she wanted to be sure I was being a good host."

"You took me out on a beautiful, romantic date, we made love all night and now you're gonna cook me breakfast from scratch. I'd say you're a phenomenal host. Your mom definitely did something right with you."

"Thanks." Emily smiled and placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead.

"If your parents are gonna be home soon, we should probably get up. What time is it anyway?"

"Almost ten."

"Oh wow, we really slept in."

"Well, we were up pretty late last night, you know."

"True." Spencer smiled, her hand moving slowly up and down Emily's stomach.

"So, what do you say we head downstairs and I'll get breakfast started."

"Sounds great."

Emily reached over the edge of the bed and picked up a black, deep v neck t shirt from the floor.

"Here." Emily handed the shirt to Spencer.

"Thank you."

Spencer sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Emily turned her head to the other side, politely giving Spencer a moment of privacy to slip the shirt on.

"I'm gonna go grab some underwear."

"You don't have to." Emily smirked.

"Yes, I do. It's your parents' house. If we were at your apartment, I wouldn't."

"I'll be right back." Before turning around, Spencer pressed her fingertips to her lips and blew Emily a kiss.

"Okay." Emily smiled.

As Spencer walked toward the door, Emily's eyes slowly wandered down the brunette's back. Emily stared at Spencer's long, toned legs. The t shirt was just long enough to cover her backside and a very small portion of her upper thighs. Emily exhaled sharply, her eyes glued to her girlfriend's legs as she disappeared out the door.

A few minutes after Spencer had left the room, Emily tossed the blanket off and got out of bed. She walked over to her dresser, pulled out a pair of blue and white plaid boxer shorts and slipped them on.

When Spencer returned to the bedroom, she noticed Emily, rooting through her top dresser drawer in nothing more than the boxer shorts she had just put on. Spencer walked up behind her girlfriend and gently ran her fingertips over the tattoo on Emily's bare right shoulder blade. Without uttering a single word, Spencer slowly leaned down and pressed her lips to the architect's skin.

Emily smirked to herself as she felt Spencer's lips graze over her shoulder and the brunette's arms wrap around her abdomen.

"Do you remember whenever I first caught you checking out my tattoo?"

"Of course. I kept trying to be sneaky about it, but you still caught me." Spencer laughed.

"You ran your fingers over it, the same way you just did now..."

"Then you asked if I wanted to see your other tattoo...after I said yes, you started to unbutton your pants. You're such a flirt. I admit though, I was pretty disappointed when you said you were kidding."

"I've been thinking of getting another tattoo, I just don't know what or where to put it. Somewhere that my mom won't see it so she can't complain." Emily laughed.

"Well...how about somewhere down here..." Spencer slowly slipped her hand down Emily's abdomen and underneath the waistband of her boxers. "Where only I'll see it."

Emily closed her eyes and inhaled sharply as Spencer's hand came to rest dangerously close to her center.

"You know, if you keep this up I'm never letting you go home." Emily breathed out.

"Okay with me." Spencer placed a kiss to Emily's cheek. "Now come on you promised to feed me and I'm starving." She pulled her hand from Emily's boxers, placed both of her hands on the architect's bare shoulders and gave them a small squeeze.

"You're such a tease." Emily laughed and shook her head, reaching into her dresser drawer and pulling out a t shirt. Deciding to forgo a bra, she slipped the shirt on over her head.

"I know it turns you on though."

"Can't argue with that."

"Oh, but before we go downstairs, I should probably pick this stuff up first." Spencer stepped over near the bed and picked up the dress she'd worn the night before as well as her shoes and underwear. "Just in case your parents would happen to come in here. They'd notice these clothes obviously aren't yours."

"Good thinking. You'll wear this for me again, right?" Emily asked, taking the dress from Spencer. "You looked absolutely stunning in this last night."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled brightly. "And of course I'll wear it for you again. I'd love to."

"Great." Emily reached up and placed her hand behind Spencer's head as she leaned down to kiss her. "I love you." Emily said, when the kiss was broken.

"I love you too."

* * *

Later that afternoon.

"Mom, Spencer and I are heading out. We'll be back in a bit." Emily said, stepping out onto the back porch where Pam and Wayne were sitting.

"Where are you going?" Pam asked.

"I'm taking Spencer for a ride on my bike, nowhere in particular."

"Please be careful. You know how I worry with you riding that thing."

"We'll be fine."

"Drive safely." Wayne added.

"And make sure you're back in time for dinner."

"Okay. We'll see you later." Emily said, reaching for Spencer's hand.

Spencer flashed Pam and Wayne a small smile before heading across the yard with Emily.

"You nervous?" Emily asked, handing Spencer a motorcycle helmet when they got to the garage.

"A little. But, I trust you."

Emily took her own helmet in her hand, flipped up the kickstand on the motorcycle and walked it out of the garage and into the driveway. Spencer placed the helmet onto her head and tightened the chinstrap. Emily checked Spencer's helmet to make sure that it was on properly before placing her own helmet on. She then swung her leg over the seat and sat down with Spencer following a moment later. Spencer spread her knees apart, placing each one on either side of Emily's hips.

"Just hold on tight to me." Emily's voice was a little muffled through the helmet as she took Spencer's hands and placed them around her abdomen.

"I don't think we'll have a problem with that." Spencer replied wrapping her arms tightly around her girlfriend.

Emily started the bike and the engine roared to life. Spencer's heart pounded hard against her chest as the bike began humming beneath her body. Spencer slid forward, pressing her body as flush against Emily's back as possible.

"You ready?" Emily asked over the noise of the motorcycle.

"Ready." Spencer replied, her grip tightening even more around her girlfriend's abdomen.

"I'll go slow." Emily called out just before they started moving toward the end of the driveway.

Emily carefully turned right and headed down the street. She drove slowly through the streets of her neighborhood. Emily pulled up to a red light and stopped.

"You okay back there?" Emily turned her head slightly.

"I'm fine." Spencer answered, sliding her hands up Emily's chest and placing her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Good." Emily placed her hand on top of Spencer's.

As soon as the light turned green, Emily gave Spencer a moment to prepare herself before she accelerated. It didn't take long for Spencer's apprehensions to disappear as she became more comfortable and in sync with Emily. Each time Emily leaned to make a turn, Spencer's body followed. She found herself enjoying being so close to Emily and having nothing to hold on to except her girlfriend. It was about twenty minutes later that Emily brought the bike to a stop at a secluded overlook just outside of town. Spencer end Emily got off of the motorcycle and took their helmets off. Spencer took a few moments to survey the view. In the distance was a long horn cattle ranch with pasture as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the pasture there was a long, winding stream that flowed through it.

"Wow. Em, it's so beautiful up here." Spencer set her helmet down on the motorcycle seat and walked toward the edge of the overlook.

"Be careful." Emily walked up behind her girlfriend and placed her hands around Spencer's waist to steady her as they both stared off into the distance at the landscape.

"I always assumed Texas would look mostly like a desert with cactus plants everywhere, but no trees or grass."

"Everyone thinks that." Emily chuckled. "But it's actually a pretty beautiful place. You know, when I first moved here with parents and I needed to get away, I'd come up here and watch the cattle roam into the sunset. I never thought I'd actually enjoy being back in Texas, but I have this great job and having you here with me, even if it's only for a while is amazing and your dad's finally coming around. I just...feel like things are going my way for a change."

Spencer placed her hands on top of Emily's. She smiled to herself when she felt Emily's lips connect with her neck.

"Come here." Emily took Spencer's hand and led her over to a huge oak tree just a few feet away from where they had been standing.

Emily then let go of Spencer's hand and unbuttoned the black and white checkered shirt she had on.

"Here. I don't want your clothes to get dirty." Emily slipped the shirt off of her shoulders, spread it out over the grass and motioned for Spencer to sit down on top of it. She then untucked the plain white t shirt she had underneath and waited for Spencer to sit.

"You're always such a gentleman, or gentlewoman...you know what I mean...you're chivalrous." Spencer smiled, placing her hand on Emily's chest.

"I try." Emily returned the smile.

Once Spencer had sat down, Emily took a seat next to her. Spencer reached over and placed her hand on the inside of Emily's thigh. Emily turned her head and met Spencer's eyes with her own. The light from the setting sun shone across Spencer's face in a way that made her hair and skin glow radiantly.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Emily asked, tucking a lock of hair behind Spencer's ear.

"You said that to me before the first time we slept together." Spencer said, staring into Emily's eyes.

"I remember." Emily smiled. "And you're still every bit as beautiful if not even more."

Spencer closed her eyes and leaned closer to Emily until their lips met. Spencer opened her mouth and slowly deepened the kiss as her hands slid up Emily's back and underneath her t shirt. Emily sighed heavily into the kiss as Spencer's tongue met her own.

"Em." Spencer moaned softly into the kiss.

Emily's hands quickly found Spencer's hair as they kissed. Spencer shifted her position a little and leaned hard into Emily's body. After a few minutes, Spencer slowly pushed Emily's body downward until she was lying on the grass. Without breaking the kiss, Spencer climbed on top of Emily, straddling her waist. Emily's hands sunk down to the small of Spencer's back, gently caressing the area over top of her shirt. When Spencer found herself needing to take a breath, she pulled back and stared down into Emily's soft, dark eyes.

"I love you so much." Emily said reaching up and gently touching Spencer's face with her fingertips.

"I love you too, Em." Spencer said as she leaned back down and captured Emily's lips in another kiss.

* * *

"Hi. We're back." Emily called out, setting her keys down on the table near the door.

Emily took Spencer's hand in her own as they walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, mom." Emily said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"Well, you're certainly in a good mood." Pam smiled.

"I sure am."

"How was your first motorcycle ride, Spencer?" Wayne asked.

"It was good. A little scary at first, but once I got used to it I had fun."

"Emily, what happened to your shirt?" Pam asked, looking at the noticeable grass stain all over the button down shirt she was holding in her hand.

"Oh, we stopped to watch the sunset…"

"And Emily so kindly laid her shirt down for me to sit on so I wouldn't get dirty." Spencer cut her girlfriend off.

"That's sweet and very thoughtful." Pam said. "Why don't you two go upstairs and wash up for dinner? It'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Missus Fields." Spencer said, politely.

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

"And give me that shirt, I'll throw it in the washer." Pam said, taking the shirt from Emily.

"Thanks, mom."

* * *

Later that night

After Pam and Wayne had gone to bed, Emily and Spencer had been sitting on the couch, cuddling and watching a movie.

"Thanks for taking me out on your bike today. Too bad it gets dark so early, otherwise we could have stayed out longer." Spencer said, taking Emily's hand in her own. "But, I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad. I did too. I'll really have to get my bike shipped up to Pennsylvania when I move back. Then we can ride together all the time this spring and summer."

"That would be great." Spencer said, laying her head on Emily's chest. "But, we probably shouldn't tell my dad that you have a motorcycle, I don't know how he'd feel about it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he wouldn't be too thrilled. Most parents aren't."

"No, but that's kinda hot. Motorcycles give off this kind of bad, sexy edge, you know?"

"Oh, do they?" Emily smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Even for me?"

"Of course. You're like just a little bit of a badass, but with a heart of gold. You're the perfect combination."

"I'm glad you think so." Emily leaned down and lifted Spencer's chin until their lips met.

Spencer closed her eyes and happily opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Emily shifted her position and leaned Spencer's body back against the armrest of the couch. The kiss quickly became very heated. A moan escaped Spencer's lips as her tongue moved against Emily's. Spencer's hands slid up Emily's back underneath her shirt. Emily groaned when she felt Spencer's lips connect with her neck. After a few minutes, Emily pulled back, causing Spencer's lips to break contact with her neck. In an instant, Emily's lips were back on Spencer's, her tongue in her girlfriend's mouth and her hands full of soft, silky brunette tresses.

"Spence." Emily closed her eyes tightly and moaned as she felt Spencer's nails digging into the skin of her shoulders.

Emily and Spencer were much too focused on each other to hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, they heard Pam clear her throat to announce her presence in the room. Spencer quickly removed her hands from inside of Emily's shirt as Emily fell backward to the other side of the couch. Spencer squeezed her eyes shut as her face grew hot with embarrassment.

"Mom, I uh…thought you went to bed…" Emily's voiced cracked a little as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I left my book down here." Pam chuckled a little.

"Well, um, where was it?" Emily asked.

"Here it is." Spencer shifted her position and pulled a paperback novel from in between the cushions.

Spencer handed the book to Pam, while desperately avoiding eye contact with her. She was at least thankful that the only light in the room was from the glow of the television.

"Thank you." Pam said. "Don't stay up too late. I don't want you to be late for work tomorrow."

"I won't be. Don't worry." Emily said.

"All right. Goodnight, girls. Don't forget to turn off the TV."

"Goodnight." Spencer managed to say despite the lump in her throat.

"Night, mom."

"Oh and Emily, the news said there's a chance of rain tomorrow, so you might want to drive my car to work."

"Okay. Thanks, mom."

Pam then turned and headed back up the stairs.

"Oh my God." Spencer said covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe your mom just caught us making out. I'm so embarrassed."

"It's not a big deal." Emily said, leaning over to the other side of the couch and prying Spencer's hands from their position over her eyes.

"Yes, it is. It'll be awkward now."

"No, it won't." Emily said reassuringly.

"Em, I had my hands up your shirt."

"So? I'm pretty sure my mom already knows that we make out. I know how you feel though, no one wants their parents to catch them making out, but it's okay, she wasn't even mad." Emily said before placing a kiss to Spencer's forehead. "My mom likes you, a lot. It's fine. So…did you have a chance to call your mom yet and ask about staying a few extra days?"

"Not yet. I was gonna call her in the morning while you're at work, so I figured I'd just ask then. I'm sure she'll let me stay."

"Okay." Emily nodded. "I'm not really tired yet, you wanna pick up where we left off?" Emily leaned down and placed a kiss to Spencer's neck.

"How can I say no to that?" Spencer groaned in pleasure, burying her hand in Emily's hair.

* * *

Late the next afternoon Emily was sitting in her office having lunch when her cell phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, assuming it was probably Spencer, but she looked at the screen and noticed that it was a number she didn't recognize. Deciding to answer the call anyway, Emily tapped the accept button and raised the phone to her ear.

"This is Emily."

"Hi, Em." The voice on the other end was one that Emily immediately recognized.

"Stephanie?" Emily asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Although Stephanie had given Emily her number, Emily hadn't put it into her phone.

"Yeah, it's me…"

"Well…why are you calling me?"

"I…I…need a favor…"

"What kind of a favor?" Emily asked, curiously as she stood up from her desk.

"Is there any possible way you could watch Bryce for me this evening?"

"What?" Emily said, obviously surprised by Stephanie's request.

"I really need a babysitter for tonight. I got called in to work to cover a shift and my parents are out of town. I called all of Bryce's usual babysitters, but it's such late notice that they all already have plans. There's literally no one who can watch him."

"Look, Steph. I don't know if I'm the person you should be asking to do this. Besides, Spencer's still here and she's not gonna be in town for very much longer and I don't know when I'll get to see her again...so I can't really..."

"Emily, please?" Stephanie's voice cracked.

"Can't you just call your boss and explain? I'm sure they'll understand."

"No, I tried, but I already had to call off twice last week when Bryce was sick. I'm already on the fence, if I call off again, I'll get fired. I can't afford to get fired, Em. I need this job, I hate like hell that I need it, the men who come in are complete pigs and I hate working there most nights, but I need this job. It's all I have to support Bryce. And this shift would put me into overtime. I could really use the extra money." Stephanie's voice shook, it was obvious that she was now crying. "Please, Emily, I wouldn't ask you to do this, but I'm desperate."

Emily paced around the room for a few moments, not immediately answering.

"Stephanie…I…"

"It's okay. I understand, I could never expect you to be okay with babysitting…" Stephanie sighed. "I'm sorry…for bothering you…"

Emily closed her eyes for a moment, she wasn't sure why she was feeling guilty, she knew she shouldn't feel sorry for her ex fiancée and no one could blame her for declining this favor, but Emily still couldn't help feeling sorry for her ex.

"Steph, wait...I'll…I'll do it…I'll watch Bryce for you…"

"You will!?" Stephanie sniffled into the phone.

"Yes." Emily sighed. "If you really need me to, I will."

"Emily. Thank you so much…you have no idea how much I appreciate this. You're a life saver."

"You're welcome. What time do you need to be at work?"

"They need me at four thirty to waitress for a couple of hours before I bartend."

"Okay, I can leave work at four. Can you bring Bryce by the Army base on your way to the bar? I'll meet you outside the front gates."

"Yes, definitely. Thank you, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. I'll figure out some way to make it up to you. I'll see you in a few hours…"

"Okay…see you then…"

Emily ended the call and set her phone down on the desk. She ran a hand through her hair, inhaled and exhaled deeply. Emily sat back down in her chair and covered her mouth with her hand as she stared up at the ceiling. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. In just a few short hours, she'd be reunited with the child she raised for a year, the child she fell in love with what seemed like a lifetime ago. Emily's emotions were running wild. She wasn't exactly sure how to feel.

"I can't believe I'm gonna see him again…" Emily spoke quietly to herself as she stared straight ahead at the door to her office.

 

 


	66. Chapter 66

As soon as Emily had regained some of her composure, she picked up her phone from the desk and called Spencer. After a few rings, Spencer picked up.

"Hi, Spence."

"Hey, Em." Spencer said happily.

"Are you busy?"

"No. Your mom and I went out to lunch, we just got back to your house. I'm glad you called. I talked to my mom this morning and she said that I can stay with you for a few extra days."

"She did? That's awesome."

"I know. But my dad said he wants me home by Wednesday evening. Apparently we're supposed to have dinner with his new clients."

"Do you have a flight time yet?"

"No. My dad said he'd book me a flight and send me the details...so what were you gonna say?"

"Oh, uh, I um just got off the phone with Stephanie, she called me and..."

"What did she call you for?" Spencer asked, her tone more curious than angry.

"Uh, she said she got called in to work and basically begged me to babysit Bryce tonight..."

"And you said yes, didn't you?" Spencer said calmly.

"How did you know?"

"Because I know you. You're a softie."

"Spencer, I'm sorry. I originally said no, but she said if she didn't take this shift, they'd fire her and that job is the only income she has to take care of Bryce...so please don't be angry, I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to say. I know she was desperate, otherwise she never would have come to me."

"Emily, relax. It's okay. I'm not angry at you. I understand that you don't want Bryce to have to suffer, okay? You have such a good heart. I just want you to be careful."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you still care about Bryce, we've talked about that and I get it. I just don't want you to end up letting Stephanie take advantage of you. I know that you like being the nice one and I love that about you…"

"Thanks, Spence. And thank you for being so understanding and such an amazing girlfriend."

"I don't think I'm the one you need to be concerned about. Have you thought about what your mom's gonna say when she finds out that you agreed to watch Bryce?"

"I know she won't be happy about it." Emily sighed. "I'll have to deal with that later."

"When are you coming home?"

"Stephanie's supposed to meet me at the base around four, so after that I'll be home."

"Are you gonna tell your mom you're bringing Bryce with you?"

"No. I think it'll be better if I don't. She won't yell in front of him. We'll talk about it later, so please don't say anything to her."

"I won't."

"I need to get back to work...but thanks again for being amazing. I love you."

"I love you too, Em. I'll see you later."

"Okay. Bye, Spence."

* * *

As the day went on, Emily found herself growing more and more anxious about seeing Bryce. Emily and a few of the crew members had been working on hammering some nails to complete a wall to a structure that would soon become one of the new soldier barracks. Emily pulled a nail from the box in her tool belt and set it in place, as she began to hammer the nail into place, her mind wandered off. She found herself hoping that Bryce would like her. She agonized over what they would do together. She wondered what his favorite games were or what she'd feed him. Emily made mental notes to ask Stephanie these questions when she dropped Bryce off. She was snapped out of her thoughts by one of her coworkers, knocking on the side of her hard hat. She turned her head to the side to see her boss's son and coworker, Mark, standing beside her.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Mark asked.

"Fine. Why?" Emily asked confused.

"Well, you've been hammering in the same nail for the last five minutes."

"Shit." Emily groaned. "Sorry, I'm just a little distracted."

"It's cool. Probably just that after lunch fog. We all have those days." Mark laughed. "Come help me move some of this lumber, would ya?"

"Sure. No problem."

* * *

It was just after four 'o clock that afternoon when Emily made her way back to her office. She left her tool belt and hard hat on the desk, took her mother's car keys from the desk drawer and headed out the door. She got into her mother's car and headed down the base's driveway. When Emily reached the security gate, she was let out by the guard. Emily drove over to the blue SUV, she recognized to be Stephanie's. Emily parked next to the SUV and stepped out of her mother's car.

"Hi, Em." Stephanie said, getting out of her own car.

"Hey. How's it going?"

"Not bad, thanks. How about you?"

"I'm okay."

Stephanie opened the back door of her car, lifted Bryce out of his car seat and set him down next to Emily. Emily would have sworn that her heart had stopped as she stared down at the toddler at her feet. Emily's mouth went dry and her breath caught in her throat. Bryce was nearly the spitting image of Stephanie. His blonde hair was just a shade darker than Stephanie's and it stuck up a little in the back in a cowlick. He was dressed in a pair of toddler jeans, a Thomas the Tank Engine t shirt and a pair of blue Nike sneakers. Emily couldn't take her eyes off the toddler. She couldn't believe how much he had grown since she last saw him. Bryce tilted his head back and stared up at Emily with his light blue eyes, eyes that were exactly the same color as Stephanie's. In an instant Emily was transported back to the delivery room, the day Bryce was born and the moment he looked up at her for the very first time. Emily felt herself tearing up a little, but she very quickly fought the tears back.

"Sweetie, this is Emily." Stephanie said leaning down to her son. "She's going to watch you for a little while, remember we talked about it?"

Stephanie glanced at Emily who's eyes hadn't left Bryce since he had been out of the car.

"Em?" Stephanie stood back up, reached out and placed a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Oh, sorry." Emily swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Hey, buddy." Emily crouched down so that she was on Bryce's level.

Bryce smiled, but almost immediately stepped back and clutched Stephanie's leg.

"He's a little shy." Stephanie said.

"It's okay. I get shy too." Emily smiled at Bryce. "But we're gonna have a lot of fun today. I promise." She reached out and gently patted the toddler's shoulder before standing back up.

"So, I packed up some of his favorite toys, books, some snacks, a pacifier and he's allergic to..."

"Strawberries." Emily finished the blonde's statement.

"Yeah." Stephanie nodded, surprised. "How did you know that?"

"We spent the entire night with him in the hospital after he had a bad reaction to that strawberry baby yogurt. How could I forget something like that? I was terrified."

"So was I. I was a complete wreck, but as usual, you were strong enough for the two of us." Stephanie stared into Emily's soft, dark eyes for a few long moments.

"Uh...anyway..." Stephanie said when she caught herself staring. "Bryce may need a nap at some point this afternoon or this evening. I couldn't get him to take one earlier."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"He's obsessed with trucks, trains, air planes and dinosaurs."

"Dinosaurs, huh?" Emily looked down at Bryce. "I love them too. Who's your favorite?"

"T wex..." Bryce said as he took a few steps toward the still open door of Stephanie's car and pointed upward into the backseat.

Stephanie reached into the SUV and pulled a T Rex stuffed animal from the seat which she then handed to her son.

"Wook. T wex." Bryce smiled happily, holding up his toy for Emily to see.

"Wow, he's scary." Emily said, playfully. "What kind of a sound do you think T Rex makes?" Emily asked crouching down to Bryce's level once again.

"Rrrrraaawwwrrr." Bryce said, tilting the stuffed animal back as if it were roaring.

"That was a great roar, buddy." Emily smiled.

Bryce smiled proudly back at Emily.

"Pway?" Bryce held the dinosaur out to Emily.

"We'll play soon. When we get to my house, okay?"

Stephanie watched in awe at the exchange between her son and ex-fiancée.

"So is there anything else I should know?" Emily asked Stephanie when she stood up again. "Steph?" Emily said, when the blonde didn't answer. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah." Stephanie said, shaking herself from her thoughts. "It's just that he's never really taken to someone so quickly before. He's usually pretty shy for a while...but anyway, we're working on the potty training thing. He's getting better about letting me know when he needs to go, but when he naps, he doesn't usually wake up to go to the bathroom, so I packed a couple of extra pull ups...I'll get you his car seat."

"I can get it." Emily ducked her head into Stephanie's SUV and unstrapped the seat from the back seat of the car.

After a minute or two, Emily had secured the car seat into her mother's car.

"Here's his bag." Stephanie said, handing Emily a small Spiderman backpack.

"He likes Spiderman?"

"He loves Spiderman. My dad took him shopping last week, bought him this backpack and about a million comic books. He's getting him started into that super hero phase early."

"It's not a phase." Emily laughed. "Super heroes are awesome."

Stephanie just laughed and shook her head. "I put his stuff in there. If you need anything you can call my cell or work. As soon as I get a break, I'll check in with you."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"All right, sweetie, mommy has to go now. I'll see you tonight." Stephanie lifted Bryce up and kissed his forehead. "Be good for Emily. I love you."

"Bye-bye mommy."

Stephanie then placed her son into Emily's arms.

"Let's wave to your mom." Emily said. "Bye, mom." Emily waved her own hand at Stephanie, which Bryce mimicked.

"Em, thank you so much for taking him tonight. I don't think you know how much I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

Once Stephanie had gotten into her car, Emily placed Bryce into his car seat, he laughed and kicked his feet as Emily buckled him in.

Emily pulled out of the Army Base's property, driving even more carefully than normal. At the end of the road, she turned right and headed down a long street which had a small park adjacent to it.

Emily heard Bryce mumble something from the back seat. She stopped at a stop sign and turned around to see the toddler staring out the car window at the playground.

"You wanna go to the park?" Emily asked.

Bryce just smiled and pointed out the window.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, turned back around in her seat and headed into the parking lot. Once she parked the car, she unbuckled Bryce from his car seat and lifted him out. Emily closed the car door and set Bryce down. She took his hand and they began walking toward the playground. As they approached the grass, Bryce let go of Emily's hand and began running toward the sandbox. Emily followed closely behind, her long strides made keeping up with him very easy. Once he got to the sandbox, Bryce quickly climbed in without hesitation. Emily got the impression that Bryce was familiar with this park, so she assumed that he must have been here at least a few times before. There were a few other people around the park, but not many.

Bryce plopped down in the sand next to another boy, who appeared to be slightly older. They exchanged hellos and babbled on for a few moments. Emily watched as Bryce picked up handfuls of sand and joined the other boy placing sand into a small bucket. After a few minutes, Bryce picked up a small plastic shovel and began digging a hole in front of him. Emily watched as Bryce picked up another shovel, he stood up and walked over to the other end of the sandbox where Emily was standing and held the shovel up to her.

"Thanks, buddy." Emily smiled and took the shovel from the toddler.

She stepped into the sandbox. The sand squished down and shifted beneath her boots. She sat down on the edge of the sandbox, next to Bryce and began digging. It wasn't long before Emily noticed that most of her right boot had been buried. She laughed when she looked over and saw Bryce piling shovelful after shovelful of sand onto her boot.

"You think we should do the other one?" Emily chuckled, looking at Bryce.

"Yeah!" Bryce laughed.

"Yeah? Okay." Emily said as she began covering the toe of her other boot with sand. "Can you help me?"

Bryce moved over to the other side of Emily's body. Bryce laughed contently as he used both of his tiny hands to gather sand and push it over Emily's boot.

"Good job. High five." Emily put her open palm up.

Bryce reached up and slapped his hand against Emily's.

"All right." Emily smiled.

Once Bryce had had his fill of playing in the sand box, he took Emily's hand and dragged her across the playground to the swings. Emily lifted Bryce up and placed him in the seat.

"Push." Bryce said, dangling his legs above the ground.

"You ready?" Emily asked, walking behind the toddler.

"Yeah!" Bryce exclaimed, happily.

"Okay. Hold on tight." Emily then gently gave Bryce a small push.

"More!" Bryce giggled.

Emily obliged and gave him a few more gentle pushes.

"More! More!" Bryce laughed.

"Just a little more." Emily smiled to herself as she watched Bryce's short legs and tiny sneakered feet kick back and forth in the air.

Emily felt herself becoming a little choked up thinking about all of the things she had missed out on in Bryce's life over the past year. Emily reached up and wiped away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. She silently cursed herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her for the second time. She quickly regained her composure, not wanting to risk Bryce seeing her cry.

"Hey bud, we're gonna have to go soon, okay? It's gonna get dark."

Emily wasn't sure if Bryce had heard her or not, but she continued pushing him regardless.

* * *

"You wanna go down the slide before we go?" Emily asked, looking down at Bryce, who's hand she was holding as they walked.

Bryce let go of Emily's hand and ran toward the small slide just a few feet away.

"I'll take that as a yes." Emily laughed as she followed behind Bryce.

Emily stood behind Bryce as he climbed up the few stairs to the top of the slide.

"Okay, sit down." Emily patted the slide's platform beneath the toddler's feet.

Bryce plopped down.

"I'll catch you." Emily walked around to the end of the slide. "Ready?"

Emily held her arms out. "Go."

Bryce sat with his legs outstretched in front of him. He wiggled forward and began to slide down the soft slope. When Bryce reached the bottom, Emily scooped him up into her arms.

"Good job, bud." Emily said. "You wanna do it again?"

"Again!"

"Okay." Emily laughed. "Let's go."

* * *

It was around five thirty that evening, the Texas winter sun was rapidly descending on the horizon when Emily decided that it was about time to leave the park. She and Bryce were walking on the sidewalk, Bryce's tiny hand in her own once again. On the way back to the parking lot, they passed by a man with a cart selling ice cream; Bryce stopped and pointed at the picture of an ice cream cone that was painted on the front of the cart.

"I cree...I cree." Bryce exclaimed, pointing to the cart.

"Does your mommy allow you to have ice cream?" Emily asked, crouching down in front of Bryce.

"Yeah." Bryce grinned, staring into Emily's eyes with his bright blue ones.

"I'm trusting a two year old." Emily chuckled to herself and rolled her eyes. "What flavor do you like?"

"Banilla."

"Okay." Emily laughed. "Banilla it is."

Emily stood up and fished her wallet out of her pocket. She bought an ice cream cone and took Bryce over to a near by bench. Emily lifted Bryce up to sit on the bench, she then sat down next to him as he began licking the ice cream.

"Good ice cream?" Emily asked, glancing over at Bryce.

Bryce smiled happily as he took a bite of ice cream.

Over the next several minutes, Emily watched as much of the ice cream ended up all over Bryce's face and shirt.

"Are you done?" Emily asked, when Bryce had stopped eating.

"Done." Bryce handed Emily the ice cream cone, though now it was just part of a cone with a bit of melted ice cream inside, which was still dripping.

Emily tossed the cone into the trashcan next to her and took one of the napkins she had grabbed from the cart. She took Bryce's chin in her hand and wiped his face. She then took another napkin and wiped the drops of ice cream from his shirt. In that moment, Emily was immediately taken back to the time when Bryce was an infant and she'd frequently cleaned his onesies of milk and spit up after he'd finished a bottle. Emily discarded the napkins and helped the toddler down off of the bench. She took Bryce's hand as they began walking back toward the car. After a few minutes Bryce stopped.

"Up." Bryce said, staring up at Emily.

Emily looked down at him.

"Up." Bryce reached his hands up toward the architect.

"You want me to carry you?" Emily asked.

Bryce nodded.

"Okay. Ready and up you go." Emily picked Bryce up and tossed him in the air, before catching him in her arms.

Bryce giggled loudly as he settled into Emily's arms for the short walk back to the car.

* * *

When they arrived back at the Fields' house Emily took Bryce out of his car seat. She picked up his stuffed T Rex and handed it to him. She then took his backpack from the seat. Emily lifted Bryce up and carried him up the porch stairs and into the house.

"Emily, honey is that you?" Pam called out from the living room.

"Yeah, it's me. I brought company."

"I wonder who?" Pam said, looking over at Spencer, who was sitting beside her on the couch.

Pam stood up and began walking to the foyer, but came face to face with both Emily and Bryce as they entered the living. Spencer stood up from the couch, she stared across the room at her girlfriend and the toddler in her arms. Pam immediately recognized Bryce to be Stephanie's son, but she didn't speak right away, she stood staring at her daughter and Bryce. Spencer nervously glanced over at Pam to try to gauge her reaction.

"Mom, this is Bryce." Emily said calmly. "Stephanie called me this afternoon and asked me to babysit. She got called into work and didn't have anyone else to watch him."

Pam took a deep breath. She was angry, but not wanting to show it in front of the toddler, she smiled.

"Hi, sweetie." Pam smiled at Bryce.

"I'm going to go finish making dinner, you and I are going to talk later." Pam stared her daughter hard in the eyes before leaving the room.

Emily closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard.

"Hi, Spence." Emily walked over to her girlfriend and kissed her.

"Hey." Spencer smiled.

"This is Bryce."

"Hi, cutie." Spencer reached out and touched Bryce's arm.

"Say hi to Spencer." Emily said, looking at Bryce.

Bryce then turned his head and buried his face into Emily's shoulder.

"Stephanie said he was a little shy."

"He doesn't seem shy with you at all." Spencer said.

"Yeah, I don't know. It's weird." Emily said, setting Bryce down.

"So...what do you wanna play, big guy?" Emily asked.

Bryce reached for his backpack, which Emily was still holding. Emily set the backpack down and Bryce quickly unzipped it.

"Em, do you think he isn't shy with you because he remembers?" Spencer asked, quietly.

"I don't think so." Emily shook her head. "He was so little when they left, he couldn't possibly..."

"Are you okay?" Spencer placed her hand on Emily's back and slowly moved her open palm up and down.

"I'm okay." Emily nodded. "A little overwhelmed, but okay…I'm sorry we're late. He wanted to go to the park, so we stopped."

"It's fine, Em." Spencer said, sincerely. "God, I can't believe how much he looks like Stephanie."

"I know. I mean he always did, but when I saw him this afternoon, I couldn't believe it."

Emily and Spencer watched as Bryce pulled some plastic dinosaur toys out of his backpack.

"Pway." Bryce said.

"You got it." Emily smiled as she sat down on the floor. "Come on, Spence. Sit down with us." Emily reached for her girlfriend's hand.

Spencer smiled and sat down next to Emily.

"Who do I get to be?" Emily asked.

Bryce picked up the stegosaurus toy and gave it to Emily.

"Aw, thanks buddy. How did you know Steggy is my favorite?" Emily laughed. "Look he has all of these cool plates on his back." Emily said, running her fingers over the large plates on the back of the toy.

Bryce then picked up his Pterodactyl toy and held it out to Spencer.

"I get one too?" Spencer asked.

Bryce nodded and offered the toy to Spencer again.

"Aw, thank you, sweetie." Spencer took the toy from the toddler.

Bryce smiled bashfully at Spencer and picked up his plastic T Rex figure.

Before joining in, Spencer just watched for a few moments as Emily and Bryce began making dinosaur noises as they had their toys pretend to fight.

* * *

"He looks exhausted." Spencer laughed as she watched Bryce's eyes grow heavier and heavier by the moment. "I think you wore him out."

"Stephanie said he didn't nap today, so he'd probably sleep at some point. I'll take him upstairs to my room and him sleep in my bed for a bit."

"Do you need any help?" Spencer asked.

"Nah, I think I can handle it. But thanks, Spence. I'll be back in a minute."

"Come on." Emily lifted Bryce up.

"Could you hand me his stuffed animal, please?" Emily asked.

"Sure." Spencer picked up the stuffed T Rex from the floor and handed it to Emily.

"Thanks."

Before heading upstairs, Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer on the forehead. Once she had gotten to her room, Emily laid an already fast asleep Bryce down in the middle of the bed, she covered him up with a blanket and tucked him in tightly, she slipped his T Rex stuffed animal underneath the blanket next to him. Emily then gathered some pillows and blankets and placed them on either side of Bryce, creating a barrier, safely surrounding him. Emily began to walk toward the door, but before stepping out of the room, she turned around and stood in the doorway. She watched Bryce sleep for a few long moments before turning and leaving the room.

"Is he sleeping?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. He passed out before I even got him into bed." Emily took, Spencer's hand and led her over to the couch where they both sat down.

Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder. Spencer moved closer and nestled her head against Emily's chest.

"So…Bryce is adorable and the way you guys played dinosaurs was totally precious. He seems to like you a lot." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's stomach, gently running her fingernails over her girlfriend's abdomen. "I'm not surprised though, you're so good with kids."

"I love kids." Emily looked down into her girlfriend's eyes. "Spencer, thank you for being so amazing. I really wasn't sure how you'd react to me seeing Bryce again let alone babysitting him. I know it's a pretty awkward situation for you and I'm really sorry…"

"It's okay, Em." Spencer used her thumb to gently stoke her girlfriend's hand. "I know Stephanie put you in a tough spot by asking, but I appreciate you calling and being honest with me."

"Of course. I would never lie to you. I was just really scared about what you would say. Part of me thought it was a terrible idea to agree to watching Bryce, but the other part was really curious…he's grown up so much…I can't believe it…"

"I told you this afternoon that I understand that you still care about Bryce and even though your relationship with him isn't what it used to be, I don't blame you for wanting to see him."

"I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so lucky to have you. I love you so much, Spence." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's.

A moment later, Pam walked into the living room.

"Where's Bryce?" Pam asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"He's taking a nap. I took him up to my room."

"Can I see you in the kitchen?" Pam said, her eyes never leaving her daughter.

"O…okay…" Emily stuttered slightly as she slowly stood up and followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Look, mom, I already know what you're gonna say...so can we please just not have this fight right now?"

"How could you agree to this?"

"Stephanie called me and asked me to babysit." Emily said calmly. "She was in a panic when she called, she said I was her last hope and if she didn't show up for work she'd get fired. What was I supposed to do?"

"I just don't understand why you're even concerned about what happens to her. She didn't seem to care about you for the past year and a half." Pam's tone became slightly louder.

"I care because it matters to me what happens to Bryce. If Stephanie loses her job, how is she supposed to support him?"

"That's for Stephanie to figure out, not you."

"Bryce didn't do anything wrong, he's completely innocent in the situation, why should he have to suffer? It's not fair to him."

"Stephanie could find a new job, let her take up financial issues with Bryce's father. He is his legal obligation."

"The guy's a deadbeat, you know that and I know that. Stephanie said he hasn't paid child support in months, she's suing him for child support, but who knows how long that case will take to settle?"

"You need to let this go, Emily. Bryce isn't your son."

Emily closed her eyes for a moment as she fought back the tears that were threatening.

"Maybe he isn't, but that doesn't mean that I don't still care about him. How would you have felt if when I was a baby dad left you and took me? I'm just asking you to try to understand, mom. Put yourself in my shoes, I never even had the chance to say goodbye…listen…I…just…I really don't wanna talk about this right now, especially not with Spencer being here, but at least she's been understanding about my whole situation why can't you be?"

"Emily, honey, I know that it hurts, I do understand that, but you need to move on with your life. You can't let Stephanie continually drag you down. You know that you can't have Bryce without Stephanie...I just don't want you to let yourself get attached again, you'll just end up making yourself miserable. I'm your mother, I know what's best for you even if you don't think so. I'm only trying to help…but you just won't let go..."

Emily and Pam both looked toward the doorway when they heard footsteps.

"What's going on?" Wayne asked, stepping into the tension-filled room. "Is everything all right?"

"Not really." Pam said. "Do you know what your daughter did today?"

"This is the first I'm seeing her since breakfast." Wayne glanced over at Emily. "What's wrong?"

"Stephanie called her today and had the nerve to ask her to babysit. Do you believe that?"

"I'm going to assume that you're upset because Emily probably said yes?"

"Of course she did." Pam looked up at her husband. "She said Stephanie claimed to have no one else to watch him while she went to work."

"Dad, I don't know what else I was supposed to do. At first, I told her no, but then she told me if she didn't show up to work that she'd get fired. How was I supposed to let her lose the only source of income she has to support Bryce? She already hates having to rely on her parents so much."

"Is Bryce here now?" Wayne asked.

"He's upstairs taking a nap." Emily said. "I need to go check on him."

Emily looked at both of her parents before excusing herself from the room.

Pam walked over to a bowl of salad that was sitting on the counter, she picked up the salad tongs and aggressively began tossing the salad.

"Pam, I know you're upset, but try to relax. Remember, Emily was completely blindsided by Stephanie leaving with Bryce. I'm sure she needs some closure. Maybe seeing Bryce will help her to move on."

"Or maybe it'll do the complete opposite and she'll just sucked back into all of this. I don't know, but what I do know for sure is that I don't trust Stephanie as far as I can throw her. I don't want Emily to get involved with her. You know Bryce's father left her and now that Emily's graduated from college and has a stable, successful career this girl just happens to resurface out of nowhere? I'm not buying that. She's an opportunist."

"I wouldn't exactly say out of nowhere." Wayne said. "Stephanie does still live here and with Emily being back in town, they were probably bound to run into one another at some point sooner or later."

"Coincidence or not, that little boy is the one thing Stephanie can still hold over our daughter and I'll be damned if I just sit here and let my baby be used by some gold digger. "

"Emily's grown up into a very intelligent young woman. She's smart enough to see if someone is trying to take advantage of her. Maybe you're reading too much into this, Emily is a giver and she's never been one to hold a grudge if Stephanie called her and she truly was desperate for a babysitter, would you ever have expected our daughter to turn her back on someone in need? That's not the person we raised her to be."

"I know that. I just...don't want to see her get hurt again. Do you remember how many nights she laid in her room and cried herself to sleep? She'd hardly talk to anyone. She wouldn't even talk to us half of the time. She was completely devastated. There was a time when I didn't think she'd ever come out of her depression. The only reason I supported her moving to Pennsylvania was that I thought having her a thousand miles away from Stephanie would help and I think it had helped, but now that she's back in Texas and has had contact with both Stephanie and Bryce…I just can't risk letting my baby go through that kind of pain again."

"I know how you feel. It damn near killed me to see her that way, but she needs to heal in her own way and at her own pace."

Pam sighed. "I just wish things didn't have to be so complicated."

"So do I, but Emily will be fine. She always is."

* * *

As Emily approached the top of the stairs, she could hear Bryce crying from down the hall. Emily stepped into her room, where Bryce was sitting up, his face was red as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Don't cry. It's okay." Emily walked over to the bed and picked Bryce up.

Emily gently patted the toddler's back and spoke in a soothing, comforting voice, just as she had many times before when Bryce had woken up in the middle of the night when he was a newborn.

"Ssshhh…it's all right, buddy. Don't cry. You're okay."

Emily then set Bryce down on the bed and checked his pull up, remembering that Stephanie had said he sometimes wet himself during naps. Emily realized that his pull up was in fact wet. Emily stepped out of the room, leaned over the railing at the top of the staircase and called for Spencer to bring Bryce's bag upstairs.

After a few moments, Spencer appeared in the room with Bryce's backpack in her hand.

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked. "Is he all right?"

"Yeah, he'll be okay. He just needs a new pull up, that's all."

Emily took the backpack from Spencer, took a new pull up from the bag and changed the toddler.

"You feel better now?" Emily asked, looking into Bryce's eyes.

Bryce nodded and clutched his stuffed T Rex against his body.

"Good." Emily placed her hand on the toddler's head and ruffled his hair.

"Why don't you give me the old pull up, I'll get rid of it." Spencer said.

"Thanks, Spence." Emily said, handing her girlfriend the wet pull up.

"Are you gonna bring him back downstairs?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, we'll be down in a minute."

"Okay." Spencer smiled, before leaving the room.

Spencer lingered in the doorway for a few moments watching Emily.

"You wanna go downstairs and play trains?" Emily knelt down on the side of the bed and looked into Bryce's eyes.

"Twains." Bryce reached for his backpack and emptied its contents all over Emily's bed.

Bryce picked up a Thomas the Tank Engine toy.

"Choo choo…" Bryce placed the toy on Emily's hand and slowly moved it up her arm and to her shoulder.

Emily laughed and reached down, placed her fingertips on Bryce's stomach and gently tickled him, causing the toddler to giggle. Spencer smiled to herself as she turned and silently made her way back downstairs, unbeknownst to Emily.

Emily picked up Bryce's backpack to gather up his things before going back downstairs.

"Juice." Bryce said, picking up a juice box that had come out of his backpack.

"Okay. You can drink your juice downstairs."

Emily's cell phone then began ringing. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the caller ID, she recognized it as the same number that had called her earlier that afternoon. Knowing it was Stephanie, Emily answered.

"Hello?" Emily said, placing the phone up to her ear.

"Hey, Em. It's Steph. How's Bryce doing? I hope he's behaving for you."

"He's been a perfect angel. He just woke up from a nap."

"How long did he nap for?"

"Only about an hour. Don't worry, he won't be up all night. We're about to go downstairs and play trains."

"That's great. He loves trains. It's so nice knowing that he's in good hands and I don't have to worry."

"We're having a lot of fun. We stopped by the park on the way home."

"Oh, that one that's not too far from the Army base?"

"That's the one."

"Did he beg you for ice cream?"

"Yes. How'd you know?" Emily laughed.

"He always begs for ice cream. Every time I take him to the park." Stephanie laughed too.

"I bought him some, I hope that's okay…"

"Of course…so…I really hope I didn't cause a lot of tension between you and your girlfriend with asking you to babysit…is your girlfriend okay with Bryce being there?"

"She's okay with it. Spencer's amazing and really mature about everything."

"That's good. Is your mom pretty pissed about you watching Bryce?"

"She's definitely not happy, that's for sure."

"I'm really sorry…"

"It's okay…"

"So, I really have to get back to work, thanks again for helping me out tonight, I totally owe you one. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"See ya then."

Emily ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Twain…" Bryce said, rolling his train toy over the surface of Emily's bed.

"Yep. We're gonna go play trains. Just let me pick up your stuff first, okay, bud?"

Emily picked up Bryce's backpack and unzipped it the rest of the way so that she'd be able to repack his things more easily. As Emily began to put the toys into the backpack, the small plastic information card holder inside the bag caught her attention. Emily stared at the Spiderman information card inside the holder.

"Bryce…Fields…?" Emily read the name on the card aloud.

For a moment Emily thought, maybe the info card was old, but it matched the backpack and she remembered Stephanie saying that her father had just bought Bryce the bag. Emily's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the toddler contently playing with his train on the bed. Emily exhaled, only when her body physically forced her to. Emily's heart thumped hard against her ribcage and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened her eyes, Emily stared down at the information card inside the backpack once again. The card still read the same:

Bryce Fields.

Emily came to the realization that she wasn't hallucinating.

"He…still has my last name…" Emily whispered as she continued to stare blankly down at the card, still unable to believe her eyes.

 


	67. Chapter 67

Emily shook herself from her thoughts and glanced over at Bryce who was still happily playing with his train on the bed. She finished gathering up Bryce's things and put them back into his bag.

"Come on, kiddo, let's go downstairs."

Emily scooped Bryce up into her arms, picked up his bag and headed back downstairs. When they got back to the living room, Emily set Bryce down and handed him a juice box. Bryce smiled happily at Emily and plopped down on the floor, juice box in one hand, a train in the other. Emily ran her hand through her hair and sat down on the couch, next to Spencer, her eyes never leaving Bryce.

"What's wrong, Em?" Spencer asked, gently tugging Emily's shirt. "You look really stressed out."

"Uh, I was picking up Bryce's toys and stuff and I noticed the little name tag on the inside of his bag..." Emily turned and looked into Spencer's eyes. "Stephanie never changed his last name..."

"Wait. What? You mean his last name is still Fields?" Spencer said sounding extremely surprised.

"Yeah. I thought if she didn't give him his father's last name, she would have just changed it to hers."

"I would think if she was planning to change it she definitely would have already."

"Me too..."

"Em, are you okay?" Spencer asked, placing her hand on Emily's thigh.

"Yeah. I'm fine..." Emily said, though she sounded uncertain.

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked, gently patting Emily's leg. "Are you upset or..."

"I think I'm just more surprised than anything."

"That's completely understandable. I know all of this must be a lot for you to take in at once. You're gonna talk to Stephanie about this, right?"

"Definitely. I can't believe she didn't tell me. How could she not say anything?"

"I don't know. Her son still having your last name kinda seems like something you'd make sure to tell a person."

"Yeah, you'd think so."

"I'm really sorry everything's so complicated for you. It's not fair."

"It's okay. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Emily, I always worry about you. I love you and I wanna make sure that you're okay."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily smiled weakly.

Emily glanced down as she noticed Bryce crawling over to the couch. He placed his toy train on Emily's shoe and moved it up her leg.

"Choo choo!" Bryce giggled. "Choo choo!" He held the toy up as high as he could toward Emily.

"You want Emily to play trains with you?" Spencer asked, leaning down toward Bryce.

"Twain." Bryce nodded, happily.

"Aw. Play with him." Spencer said, placing a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I'll go see if your mom needs any help with dinner."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You two have fun." Spencer smiled and kissed Emily on the cheek before standing up.

"All right, bud, pick me out a train, okay?" Emily said as she dropped to her knees on the floor.

Bryce hurried over to his bag and pulled out a red toy train, which he happily offered to Emily.

"Thanks." Emily smiled. "You wanna race?"

"Yeah!" Bryce said excitedly.

Spencer stood in the doorway and watched as Emily and Bryce raced their respective trains across the living room floor. After a few minutes, Spencer turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

* * *

Later that night.

"Emmy, what time is Stephanie coming to pick up Bryce." Wayne glanced at the toddler who had fallen fast asleep in Emily's lap.

"She should be here pretty soon. She gets off work at midnight." Emily said.

"Okay. Your mother and I are heading to bed, lock the door before you come upstairs."

"I will." Emily nodded.

"And don't stay up too late, you know the drill. Your mom wants us ready for church by seven thirty."

"Don't worry. I'll be ready."

"So will I." Spencer smiled.

Wayne turned to Spencer. "Great. Goodnight, Spencer. Goodnight, Emmy."

"Goodnight Mister Fields."

"Night, dad."

Once Wayne had left the room, Emily looked over at Spencer.

"Spence, you don't have to come to church with us tomorrow...please don't feel obligated."

"I don't feel obligated. I want to."

"You do?"

"Yes. It's important to your family. I want to come."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. If you wanna go up to bed you can, you don't have to wait up with me."

"I don't mind. I'm not even tired."

"In that case, I'm glad." Emily smiled.

Spencer laid her head on Emily's shoulder and looked down at Bryce.

"I think you really wore him out." Spencer said.

"I think it's the other way around." Emily yawned.

"Too much toddler for you?" Spencer laughed.

"I guess so." Emily laughed too. "I forgot how much energy they have."

"Well, that and you did work all day, babe."

"That's true."

"So…Em...tonight at dinner, things between you and your mom were a little..."

"Tense?" Emily finished her girlfriend's sentence.

"Yeah...I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault. I didn't expect anything less anyway."

"So...are you gonna tell your mom that Bryce still has your last name?"

"I don't know. It'll probably just upset her even more. She'll probably kill Stephanie."

"Well, for being mad, your mom was really sweet to Bryce, but I guess he's only two, she can't really fault him for what Stephanie did…"

"She'd never let him see her angry or treat him badly, that's not how my mom is. No matter how mad she is at Stephanie or even me, Bryce is just a kid, he doesn't know any better."

"Was your mom ever okay with you having a baby?"

"I've asked myself that a million times, sometimes I don't think she ever accepted it, but part of me thinks otherwise. I mean she definitely wasn't happy at all when she found out that Stephanie was pregnant and it took a little time, but she got over it. She even helped coach Stephanie in the delivery room and went to Lamaze class with her when I was working late and her own mom couldn't make it."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. Stephanie had kind of a long labor and my mom was there with her pretty much the whole time and once Bryce was born, she treated him just like she would have if he had been my biological son. My mom always says that she thinks Stephanie did me a favor and she's glad that I'm not stuck raising a kid right now, but I think she's just trying to protect my feelings. I think she really loved having a grandson."

"Maybe she's being so hard on you about not getting attached again because she's afraid of getting attached again too."

"I think that's a pretty good possibility. I think she really did love Bryce a lot, she sure acted like it."

"You'll give your mom a grand baby some day that she'll love just as much." Spencer reached over and patted Emily's leg.

"I hope so…but you know, I'm not sure if I ever wanna be pregnant."

"Really? Why not?"

"It's kinda scary, you know? You're not just worrying about yourself, you're taking care of a developing human being. Every little thing you do can have an effect on them."

"That and I don't know how this." Emily motioned to Bryce. "Manages to come out of this." Emily motioned to her lap.

Spencer laughed. "Weren't you in the delivery room?"

"Yeah, I was there..."

"Well, didn't you watch? Wait, oh my God, did you pass out?" Spencer chuckled.

"Almost, but no. I got a little light headed when I saw Bryce like actually…you know…coming out...I'm not sure I wanna be on the other end of that...especially after hearing the way Stephanie screamed…"

"Aw. So I guess that means I'll have to be the one to carry our babies?"

Emily looked over at Spencer and smiled. "You wanna have kids with me?"

"Sure. I'd love to have a mini Emily someday. I can picture it now, a little kid with your gorgeous big brown eyes and those adorable little dimples you get whenever you smile. How cute would that be?"

Emily smiled brightly at the thought of a long-term relationship with Spencer and having children together.

"Look. There are those adorable dimples I was talking about." Spencer reached up and pinched Emily's cheek. "God, you're cute."

"Thanks, Spence. You always know how to boost my self-esteem. It's been a long time since I've felt this good about myself."

Emily leaned over and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips.

"So you're in it with me for the long run then?" Spencer asked.

"Absolutely. I always thought people were crazy for claiming to be in love after only dating for a short time…but then I actually felt it and now I totally understand."

"I'm glad." Spencer smiled, leaned over and kissed Emily again.

A moment later, Emily's phone chimed from inside her pocket.

"Hey, Spence, would you mind grabbing my phone out of my pocket?"

"It would be my pleasure." Spencer laughed as she reached into Emily's pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Who is it?"

"It's a text from some random number."

"Is it some area code two five four number?" Emily asked.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded.

"Can you open it? It's probably Stephanie."

Spencer opened the message.

"Yeah, it's her. She said she just pulled in the driveway."

"Would you mind terribly keeping an eye on Bryce for a minute so I can talk to Stephanie?"

"No. Go ahead. I know you guys have some stuff to talk about."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily lifted up Bryce, who was still asleep in her lap and laid him down on the couch. "I'll be right back."

Emily walked over to the front door and opened it to find Stephanie standing on the porch.

"Hi. Sorry I didn't wanna ring the bell, I didn't know if your parents were sleeping."

"It's fine." Emily stepped outside into the porch and closed the door behind her.

"Is Bryce ready?"

"He's asleep in the living room with Spencer, but you and I need to talk."

"I'm really sorry if I interrupted any plans you guys had for tonight, but I really do appreciate you watching Bryce. He did behave the rest of the night, didn't he?"

"Of course he did."

"Here. Let me pay you." Stephanie pulled some cash from her pocket.

"No, keep it. I don't want your money."

"Em, please."

"Keep it." Emily insisted. "I didn't do it for the money."

"Are you sure I can't give you something?"

"I'm positive."

"Well...I honestly do appreciate your help…what did you wanna talk about?"

"How could you not tell me that Bryce still has my last name?" Emily crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, so you know..." Stephanie closed her eyes for a moment. "I meant to tell you...I just I didn't know how to bring it up..."

"You should have told me that night at the bar, when we first talked."

"I'm sorry. When we talked that night, you were already upset, I didn't wanna spring that on you too…"

"I just don't get it…why would you...how could..."

"Justin and I were working on putting his name on the birth certificate and changing Bryce's last name when he left..."

"And?"

"And after that…I don't know, I felt…"

"Like someone punched you in the stomach and knocked all the air out of your lungs?"

"Exactly like that…then I realized how I made you feel and you have to believe me, Em. I'm so sorry. After Justin left, I didn't go through with the name change because I didn't want Bryce to have Justin's name, even if he is the father. He's a total loser and I can't believe I was ever involved with him to begin with. Bryce is the only worthwhile thing I got out of our relationship."

"You didn't want Bryce to have your ex boyfriend's name, his father's name…yet it makes sense to you for him to keep your ex-fiancée's name?"

"Justin wasn't very adamant about going out and having it changed ASAP, he kept dragging his feet so it never got done and by the time he left, I didn't even wanna change it anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because. Bryce already has a name. He's already over two years old now, he's learning his name…I just…I didn't want to confuse him…"

"You could have given Bryce your own last name."

"You're right, I could have…"

"But you didn't…"

"I still can. If that's what you want, then I'll change it."

"Yes...I mean no...I mean...I don't know what I want..." Emily sighed heavily and stepped over to the bench in the corner of the porch and sat down.

"I just...I feel like if he's not my son, it's weird for him to have my name. He barely even knows me. I don't want him to be confused when he gets older and starts wondering why his name is different than yours or his father's, you know?...But at the same time, kids that age learn so fast, if he pretty much knows his name and you change it, he'll probably be confused either way."

"Emily, I'm really sorry that this is all such a mess. I didn't keep Fields as his last name to hurt or upset you, okay? That's not it at all." Stephanie sat down next to Emily. "If you need some time to decide what you want me to do, that's fine. Just let me know."

"I do think I need some time to sort this all out."

"I understand." Stephanie nodded. "I should really get Bryce and head home…I think I caused you enough trouble already…"

"I'll go gather up his stuff and get you his car seat from my mom's car." Emily stood up and began walking toward the front door.

"Are you coming?" Emily asked, glancing behind her at the blonde, who was standing on the porch stairs.

"I think, I should just wait here…"

"All right, I'll be back in a minute."

When Emily returned to the living room, she found Bryce still fast asleep, but now he had his head on Spencer's thigh, using it as a pillow as he sucked his thumb.

"Thanks, Spence…did he wake up at all?"

"Just for a minute, but he pretty much fell right back to sleep."

"Okay. I'm gonna go put his car seat back into Stephanie's car."

"I'll wait for you." Spencer smiled.

Emily leaned down and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips. She then picked up Bryce as well as all of his things and headed back outside. When Emily got outside, she handed Bryce to Stephanie. She then put Bryce's bag into the car and moved his car seat from her mother's car, back into Stephanie's SUV. Once the seat was securely in place, Stephanie strapped Bryce in.

"Thanks again, Em. Really." Stephanie said, sincerely.

"You're welcome. Drive safely."

"I will. Have a good night."

"You too."

Emily watched as Stephanie got into the car and slowly backed out of her parents' driveway.

* * *

The next morning after church, Pam, Wayne, Emily and Spencer all walked up the aisle as the large crowd of parishioners began to file out.

"That was a wonderful service, don't you think, honey?" Pam asked, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder as they walked out into the church's spacious vestibule. "I really like Father Tom."

"Definitely." Emily nodded. "Father Tom is so down to Earth and easy to listen to. Was that the first Catholic mass you've ever been to, Spence?" Emily asked, glancing over at her girlfriend.

"Uh huh. I had no idea Catholic services were so..."

"Long?" Emily laughed.

"No, structured and elaborate is what I was going to say." Spencer countered. "And the church is so big. The mass was really nice."

Wayne pushed open the large wooden door leading outside.

"What do you girls say we go out and get some breakfast?" Wayne asked.

"I think that's a great idea." Pam said. "We can go to that nice little diner down the road."

"Perfect." Wayne smiled. "I'll go get the car. You can all just wait here. I'll be right back."

A moment later, a tall, thin blonde woman wearing a navy blue dress and pearl jewelry approached Pam, Emily and Spencer. Emily recognized the woman as being one of her mother's friends, but couldn't remember her name.

"Hi, Pam. How are you?" The woman said.

"I'm doing well, Angela. How are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I know. Bill has been working a lot of Sundays these last few months, so we've been going to mainly Saturday evening masses. Where's Wayne?"

"He's here. He just went to get the car."

The woman then turned to Emily.

"And this must be your Emily." She placed her hands on either side of Emily's face. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you. Aren't you just the spitting image of your mother? So adorable."

"Thank you." Emily blushed and stared down at her shoes.

"How's work going, honey?"

"It's going. I'm keeping busy."

"That's certainly good to hear...and who do we have here?" She turned her attention toward Spencer.

"I'm Spencer...Emily's..." Spencer hesitated for a moment unsure of whether she should introduce herself as Emily's friend or girlfriend.

"Are you a girlfriend?" The woman smiled warmly.

"I am." Spencer nodded and smiled back.

"Don't they make the cutest couple you've ever seen?" Pam said.

"They certainly do...listen, I have to go, but it was good seeing you all. Pam why don't you give me a call sometime next week, maybe we can do lunch?"

"That would be great."

"Fantastic. Have a good day."

The woman then disappeared back into the crowd, chatting with other people.

"Here comes your dad." Pam said, linking her arm around Emily's elbow.

Once Wayne had stopped the car in front of the church, Emily stepped forward and opened the front passenger door for her mother as well as the back door for Spencer. After Pam had gotten into the car, Emily closed the door.

"Aren't you just so adorable?" Spencer said, placing her hands on either side of Emily's face as Pam's friend had done only a minute ago.

Emily shook her head and laughed before.

"She's not wrong, you know." Spencer smiled and patted Emily's shoulder.

Emily smirked to herself as she followed Spencer into the backseat.

* * *

"You'll love the food here, Spencer." Wayne said. "This place makes the best breakfast in town. The Belgian waffles are the best I've ever tasted."

Pam loudly cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"I mean besides yours of course, dear." Wayne said, turning his head to glance at his wife. "No one beats your cooking."

"Nice save, dad." Emily laughed raising her coffee mug to her lips.

"What sounds good, Spence?" Emily asked.

"I think I'll actually go with the Belgian waffles. You talked me into it Mister Fields."

"You won't be disappointed." Wayne said. "Waffles, a little bacon, some coffee, can't go wrong there."

"As long as it's turkey bacon for you." Pam placed her hand on top of her husband's. "Your cholesterol level was a little bit high at your last check up."

"I know, I know. I'm working on it."

"Mister and Missus Fields, thank you so much for letting me visit and for letting me stay a few extra days." Spencer said, sincerely, her gaze shifting between Pam and Wayne across the table.

"You're always welcome to visit, sweetheart." Pam said. "We're happy to have you."

"So...do you girls have any plans for tonight since Spencer doesn't have to head home?" Wayne asked.

"Uh, I don't know, I haven't really planned anything." Emily said. "Maybe we'll go to a movie or something?"

"Well, your father and I are going out with some friends later on, so let me know what you want for dinner and I'll make it before we leave."

"You guys are going out?" Emily asked, a little surprised.

"Yes. One of my book club friends invited us out to dinner and a jazz show." Pam said. "I was thinking it was next Sunday, but I guess I got the dates mixed up."

"Oh, well in that case, maybe Spence and I will stay in then. I'll cook us dinner and we can just watch a movie on TV or something."

Emily then looked over at Spencer. "I mean unless you'd rather go out. We can do that."

"No, I think having you cook us dinner would be really nice. I'd love that."

"Cool. Think about what you want to eat and we can stop by the grocery store later."

* * *

"How do you feel about a surf and turf theme for dinner tonight?" Emily asked. "I was thinking maybe steak and lobster tails? It looks like they have some pretty nice Porterhouse steaks."

"Those are like ten dollars a pound. And lobster? Don't you think that's a little extravagant? It's not even a special occasion."

"It's cool, Spence. Don't worry about the price. Nothing is ever too extravagant for you." Emily said. "You always deserve the best. And I consider all of our dates special occasions, by the way."

"Aw. That's really sweet." Spencer swooned.

"It comes easily, sweet is my middle name, after all." Emily joked.

"I thought your middle name was Catherine." Spencer laughed.

"It is. But we don't need to talk about that. I hate my middle name."

"Why? I think Emily Catherine is a really pretty name."

"No. It sounds too nerdy." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Nerdier than Spencer Jill? Seriously? I don't think so." Spencer laughed.

"At least yours is relatively uncommon. There are a million Emilys out there." Emily said as she stepped up to the meat counter.

As Emily and Spencer were headed to the check out, Spencer stopped.

"Wait a second. I wanna look at something." Spencer said, disappearing down the condom aisle.

"What do you need?" Emily asked.

"I just wanna check out the lube."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Your parents are gonna be out late...so I was thinking after dinner maybe you and I could play." Spencer said seductively.

"That sounds great…so…not that I mind, but why do you want lube? Are you having trouble getting, you know, like turned on?"

"No, of course not." Spencer placed her hand on top of Emily's, which was resting on the cart. "I just think it'd be fun. I've played around with the KY you keep at your apartment and..."

"Wait. Seriously?" Emily smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh."

"So...uh, what kind of stuff did you want?" Emily asked, her eyes roaming over all of the different kinds of lubricants.

"How about...this one." Spencer took a box off of the shelf and handed it to her girlfriend.

"It's a massage oil and lube. And it's strawberry flavored. I'm sold." Emily smiled and tossed the box into the cart.

"Do we need anything else?" Spencer asked.

"I don't think so. Let's get out of here."

* * *

"Emily, honey, have you seen your father?" Pam asked, walking into the living room where Spencer and Emily were sitting.

"He said he was going out to the car."

"I better hurry up then. But shouldn't you be starting on your dinner?"

"The steaks are still marinating. I'll go make them in a couple minutes."

"Did you use my special marinade recipe?"

"Of course I did. It's the best."

"Great. You girls have a good night. We'll be back late tonight."

"Okay. I hope you and dad have a good time."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Don't wait up. Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight, Missus Fields." Spencer smiled.

"Night, mom."

Pam then turned and headed toward the front door.

"You know, Em, this is so amazing. We're getting all of this unexpected alone time." Spencer stood up and sat back down across Emily's lap.

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and kissed her.

"It's great." Emily smiled when the kiss was broken and wrapped her arms around Spencer's hips.

"I can't wait to get you upstairs." Spencer said in a low, husky tone as she undid the first few buttons on Emily's shirt.

"I can't wait either." Emily whispered, her lips connecting with Spencer's again.

Spencer quickly slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth as she ran her fingers through the architect's hair.

Spencer slid off of Emily's lap and pulled on her girlfriend's shirt. Without breaking the kiss, Emily quickly shifted positions, so that she was now on top of Spencer. Emily moved downward and slowly began kissing Spencer's neck. Spencer undid the rest of the buttons on Emily's shirt and slid her hands up her girlfriend's abdomen. When Emily felt Spencer's hands move downward toward her pants, she broke contact with her girlfriend's neck.

"Why'd you stop?" Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes.

"If we keep going, I'll never get dinner cooked."

"We have plenty of time for a pre-dinner quickie." Spencer said, tracing random shapes on Emily's bare chest with her index finger.

"We do, but it'll be so much better if we hold off until later." Emily leaned down and pecked Spencer's lips. "And that way, you'll have our whole dinner to think about me naked." She laughed.

"Deal." Spencer smirked.

"Now, come on, the steaks won't cook themselves."

* * *

"Em, everything is amazing." Spencer said, lifting the last chunk of steak to her mouth. "I'm really lucky you're so sweet and romantic."

"Maybe just a little." Emily smiled, the dim light of the two candles she had lit, shone across her face.

"Thank you for cooking for me tonight."

"You don't have to thank me, I love doing it. I'm just so glad that you didn't have to leave tonight."

"Me too. Even though you have to work these next few days, I'm just glad we still have some time to spend together."

"So am I and I'm really happy that your parents let you stay, especially your dad. I know that I'm still not exactly his favorite person."

"Don't worry. Things are slowly getting better."

"I know. But I still feel really bad about everything that happened. I'm just so grateful that he let you come visit me at all."

"Aw, Em. I was always gonna come visit you no matter what happened. And the good news is that we've already made it through one month, so we only have three, maybe four, but hopefully just three more to go."

"I hope only three. I'm working really hard every single day so I can finish as soon as possible."

"I know you are. I've just missed you so much this last month."

"I've really missed you too. I can't wait until I can come home and get to see you pretty much every day again."

"Neither can I and it won't be long until Melissa's wedding. I can't even tell you how excited I am to show off my hot architect."

Emily laughed.

"I'm excited to be your escort. I'll get to show off the beautiful maid of honor and I love weddings...so, can I get you anything else to eat or..."

"No thanks, I'm stuffed…hey, Em?" Spencer said, staring across the table into Emily's eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we can go upstairs now?"

"You're really anxious tonight." Emily reached across the table and took Spencer's hand.

"It's just that we didn't expect for your parents to be gone tonight and this is probably the last time we'll get to be like alone alone together for a while. I want to make tonight really count. I don't necessarily mean sex either, I just wanna be with you."

"I feel the same way." Emily stood up and extended her hand down to Spencer.

Spencer took Emily's hand and the architect helped her to her feet. Emily then licked the pads of her index finger and thumb and pinched the flame of each of the two candles to extinguish them.

"Let's go upstairs." Emily leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Spencer's lips.

 

 


	68. Chapter 68

Emily collapsed flat onto her back on the mattress, next to Spencer; the architect slowly inhaled and exhaled, attempting to catch her breath.

"You okay?" Emily asked, glancing over at her girlfriend.

"Of course." Spencer smiled as she reached for the blanket and pulled it up to her chest. "You done?"

Emily nodded and exhaled heavily. "I don't think I can go anymore."

"Me either." Spencer agreed. "But, you were great." She moved closer to Emily and wrapped her arms tightly around the architect.

"Thanks." Emily placed a gentle kiss on Spencer's lips. "So were you."

"You still taste like strawberries." Spencer smiled.

"So did you like the lube or..." Emily asked.

"Yeah, I like it a lot. It tastes good and I still feel all warm and tingly."

"So do I." Emily laughed.

"You know, you're definitely gonna have to throw these sheets in the wash." Spencer said, slightly shifting underneath the blanket. "They're soaked."

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I sweat a lot more than normal in bed. I don't know how to control it." Emily said, suddenly feeling a pang of self-consciousness overcome her.

"No, babe, don't apologize. I wasn't complaining or anything. I think it's totally sexy."

"You do?" Emily raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You don't think it's like gross or anything?"

"Not at all. I love it that you get all hot and sweaty for me." Spencer nuzzled her face against Emily's very damp chest.

Emily smiled and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her closer.

"What time is it?" Spencer asked.

"A little after ten." Emily said, glancing at the alarm clock next to the bed.

"Good. So we should still have some time before your parents get home."

"We've got plenty of time." Emily reached over to the nightstand for the bottle of water that was next to the alarm clock. "You wanna lay here and watch TV or something?" Emily opened the water bottle and took a sip.

"Actually, do you think we could just spoon for a while?" Spencer asked, running her fingers over Emily's stomach.

"Anything you want, princess." Emily placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead and set her water bottle back on the nightstand. "I do get to be the big spoon though, right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Spencer smiled brightly.

Spencer turned over away from Emily. The architect followed by pressing her naked body up against Spencer's bare back, she slipped one arm underneath the pillow she shared with Spencer and used her other arm to pull her girlfriend tightly against her chest. Emily placed her hand flat on the mattress near Spencer's chest. Spencer reached up and gently ran her fingertips over Emily's forearm and bicep.

"How's that?" Emily spoke softly into Spencer's ear.

"Perfect." Spencer said, her body almost melting into Emily's.

Spencer happily placed her hand on top of the architect's and laced their fingers together.

Emily smiled and gently kissed the back of Spencer's neck.

"I love you, Spence." Emily whispered into her girlfriend's ear.

"I love you too." Spencer sighed contently.

An hour later.

"Hey, Spence." Emily nudged her girlfriend, who had fallen asleep.

"Yeah?" Spencer said, groggily.

"We should think about getting up. My parents will probably be home pretty soon."

"There, I thought about it." Spencer laughed as she rolled over onto her back.

"Very funny." Emily chuckled. "You're something else, you know that." While still remaining underneath the blanket, she rolled over on top of Spencer and stared down at her.

"You know you love me." Spencer smirked.

"That I do." Emily smiled and leaned down to press her lips to Spencer's.

"You know what I love?" Spencer asked when the kiss was broken.

"What's that?"

"This view." Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes. "I love being under you." She slowly slid her hands up Emily's back and over her shoulders.

Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer again, the pair quickly finding themselves in a very heated lip lock. Spencer's fingers tangled themselves in Emily's hair, as she brushed her tongue against the architect's bottom lip. After a few moments, Emily eventually broke the kiss.

"We really should get up." Emily said. "My parents' friends love to chat, but they can only go on for so long."

"Okay." Spencer nodded. "Is it all right if I go take a quick shower?"

"Of course…I'm gonna go take these sheets down to the laundry room and get some new ones."

"Okay." Spencer reached up and placed one more peck on Emily's lips before sliding out from underneath her.

Spencer got out of bed and picked up one of Emily's t shirts from the floor, which she slipped on before gathering up her own clothing and disappearing out of the room. Emily then walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a t shirt for herself. Once she had gotten dressed Emily stripped the sheets from her bed and headed downstairs to the laundry room in the basement. She stuffed the sheets into the washing machine, but didn't turn it on, as Spencer was still in the shower. When Emily turned around she noticed in the corner of the room was a piece of furniture covered by a sheet. Emily walked across the room and pulled the sheet off, revealing the crib that she had built for Bryce. Emily knew that her parents had kept the crib, but being that this was the first time she had come down to the basement since she had been home, she hadn't seen it. Emily ran her hand over the top railing, which was just a little dusty. She looked down onto the mattress of the crib and recognized the leather-bound scrapbook that Pam had started for Bryce before he was born. Emily picked up the book and opened to the page that had Bryce's very first sonogram picture on it. Emily flipped through a few more pages, some of herself and Stephanie in the delivery room, some of Bryce's first baby photos along with a copy of his birth certificate. Emily closed her eyes as she felt a few tears slip down her cheeks. Emily knew that seeing Bryce again would affect her, but she never imagined she would be nearly as emotional as she had been. She never expected to cry so much, she was certain that she hadn't cried over anything in her whole life as much as she had cried over Bryce. Emily closed the book and wiped away her tears. She set the book back down inside the crib and took a few steps toward the staircase. Emily then turned around and walked back over to the crib. She picked up the book once again and took it with her upstairs. Emily walked back into her bedroom, set the baby book on her dresser and took some fresh sheets out of her closet. Once she had re-made up the bed, she took the baby book and sat down on the bed as she began to flip through it again.

It was a few minutes later that Spencer walked into the bedroom to find Emily very engrossed in looking at a book on her lap.

"Em?" Spencer said, stepping in the doorway.

Emily's head snapped up, she quickly closed the book and shoved it underneath the bed.

"Hey, Spence." Emily looked at her girlfriend across the room.

"What were you looking at?" Spencer asked, walking over to the bed.

"Oh, nothing."

"Aw, come on. You were obviously looking at something."

"No, really. It's nothing."

Spencer bent down and reached underneath the bed, pulling out the scrapbook. Emily bit her lip and sighed heavily as Spencer opened the book.

"You know, sweetie, most people just keep porn under their beds." Spencer chuckled. "Why didn't you want me to see this?" She asked as she flipped to the next page.

"I don't know. I just didn't want you to be mad at me…"

"Why? Because you're thinking about Bryce?" Spencer asked, sitting down on the bed, next to Emily.

"Well, yeah. I just found that book when I went to the basement and I couldn't help looking through it…I'm sorry…"

"Emily, you don't have to be sorry. We've talked about this, I understand that seeing Bryce after so long has been tough on you. It's okay. You have a lot of memories. That's not something you can just forget, but you'll get through it…"

Emily hesitantly nodded.

"Look at how cute you are though." Spencer said, coming across a picture of Emily in scrubs, holding a newborn Bryce in her arms. "You should have been a doctor, just based on hot you look in scrubs." Spencer said, trying to make light of the situation. "But, then again, I do love you as an architect."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily chuckled a little.

"I know things are hard, but you'll be fine. You always are." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on Emily's thigh.

"You're right. I'll figure it out. I have you, that's the most important thing."

"You'll always have me. I'm not going anywhere." Spencer smiled as she leaned over and placed a kiss to Emily's lips.

* * *

 

Early the next afternoon.

Emily readjusted her tool belt and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was an unseasonably warm day even for a Texas winter.

"Hey Emily, can you help me with these two by fours?" Mark asked.

"Sure thing." Emily followed Mark over to a large pile of lumber across the construction site.

Mark and Emily both bent down and picked up as many boards as they each could handle. They both made multiple trips, carrying the boards over to where the rest of the construction crew was working. A few minutes later, Emily returned back to the lumber pile to gather the remaining boards. As she walked around the pile, she failed to notice a large, brown snake that had been coiled up underneath the pile of wood. Unbeknownst to Emily, as she stepped forward and bent down to pick up the lumber, she stepped on the tail of the snake. The snake then lunged forward, before Emily even had the chance to react, the snake struck her boot through her jeans.

"Shit." Startled, Emily involuntarily jumped backward.

Presumably out of fear, the snake struck for a second time, this time its fangs connecting with Emily's forearm, just below her elbow.

"Son of a bitch." Emily stumbled backward and lost her balance and landed on the ground as a searing pain shot through her forearm at the wound location.

"Emily, are you okay?" Mark asked, rushing over to the architect who was now sitting on the ground, holding her arm. "What happened?" He asked, kneeling down.

"There's a snake."

Mark whipped his head around to see the large brown snake quickly slithering away.

"Holy shit. That looks like a Copperhead." Mark then turned back to Emily. "Did it get you?"

"Yeah." Emily clenched her teeth and held her arm out.

Mark looked down at Emily's arm, where he noticed a small amount of blood running from two obvious puncture wounds that the snake's fangs had left behind.

"We need to get you to the hospital. Come on."

Mark stood up and slowly helped Emily to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Mark asked.

"My arm's throbbing." Emily winced in pain as she looked down at her arm, which had already begun to swell.

"Just try to stay calm. It'll be okay."

"Can you go to my office and grab me my motorcycle helmet?" Emily asked. "I'll drive myself to the hospital and..."

"Are you crazy?" Mark said. "You can't drive yourself. I'll take you. Let's go."

Mark and Emily made their way to Mark's truck. Emily opened the passenger side door and climbed inside. Mark quickly jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine. As they left the base, Mark glanced over at Emily as she squeezed the blood along with any venom that may have been injected out of the wound. There was an obvious look of discomfort on her face.

"Are you all right?" Mark asked again, his eyes continually shifting between the road and Emily. "You're not having trouble breathing or anything are you?"

"No. I'm okay. It just really hurts." Emily groaned.

"Hang tight, Em. We'll be at the hospital soon."

Emily leaned her head against the window of the truck and took in a slow deep breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth as she slowly inhaled and exhaled again, trying her best not to focus on the throbbing in her forearm.

Once they got to the hospital, Emily was quickly taken to a room where she had her vital signs taken. It was only a matter of a few minutes until one of the ER doctors, a short, chubby man with dark hair and a beard walked into the room.

"Hi, Emily." The man said. "I'm Doctor Carlton. I hear you have a snake bite."

"Yeah. On my arm."

"Let's take a look." The doctor pulled on a pair of gloves and carefully examined Emily's forearm.

"What exactly happened?"

"I was working outside. I went to pick up some lumber, I didn't know the snake was there and I accidentally stepped on it."

"Is this the only bite?"

Emily nodded. "It struck twice, but the first time, it just got my boot."

"Do you have any idea what kind of snake it might have been?"

"The co worker that brought me in said it looked like a Copperhead, but I'm not sure."

"Can you describe it at all?"

"Um, it was pretty big and light brown with these wide dark brown markings all over."

"Would you describe the markings as sort of an hourglass type of a shape?"

"Yeah. Exactly like that."

"That definitely sounds like a Copperhead all right. You don't really see them this time of year, but this winter's been so warm I wouldn't be surprised to see a few lurking around."

"Well...what happens now Copperheads are venomous..." Emily said, concerned. "Do I need antivenom or anything?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, we don't tend to give antivenom for Copperhead bites if we can help it. The antivenom has some pretty nasty side effects, often times the side effects are worse than the effects of the venom itself. Luckily, Copperheads tend to inject very little venom, if any into something that they don't consider prey. The pain from the bite is usually the worst part. Let's check your vitals again."

The doctor took his stethoscope from around his neck and took a minute to listen to Emily's heartbeat.

"Do you feel weak or dizzy?" The doctor asked as he moved the stethoscope to Emily's back to listen to her lungs.

"No." Emily shook her head.

"Good. Your heartbeat and breathing are normal. You're conscious and you seem pretty alert. Those are all good signs. Are you nauseous at all?"

"Not really..."

"Great. It doesn't look like the fangs went very deep and I really don't think that snake got enough venom into you to cause any significant damage. But, you do have quite a bit of swelling around the bite, we should monitor that for a while."

"Is there anything I can take for the pain?" Emily groaned, she was trying hard to be tough, but the pain was now beginning to get the best of her.

"Yes. I'll have a nurse start an IV with some morphine and clean out the wound. How's your pain level?"

"It hurts a lot. It feels like it's throbbing, burning and stinging all at the same time."

"Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up in no time. Just try to relax."

"Thank you."

As the doctor left the room, Emily sat back down on the bed, holding her arm. After only a few minutes, a young dark-haired woman, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, wearing scrubs walked in the door.

"Hi, I'm Natalie. I'll be your nurse."

"Hi." Emily forced a weak smile as she stood up.

"Go ahead and take your clothes off and put this on." She handed Emily a hospital gown. "Then I'll start your IV."

"Uh, but the bite is just on my arm, I need to take my clothes off for that?"

"It's just precautionary...no need to be shy. I've been doing this for the last six years, believe me, I've seen all there is to see...and the sooner you get undressed and get in that bed, the sooner we can get your pain under control."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"Good. I'll be right back and you can leave your underwear on."

Once the nurse walked out, Emily took off her boots, jeans and shirt before slipping on the hospital gown. She then got into bed and squeezed her eyes shut as her arm continued to throb painfully.

"That's better." The nurse said, returning to the room.

The nurse walked around to the side of the bed and prepared Emily's arm for the IV.

"Can you make a fist for me?" The nurse asked. "Okay. Just a little pinch..." Natalie said as she inserted the needle into Emily's vein. "The morphine should start taking effect shortly."

Emily nodded.

Once Emily's IV was in place and working, the nurse carefully cleaned the two puncture wounds on the top of Emily's forearm.

"The doctor wants us to keep an eye on that swelling. Go ahead and get comfortable, you'll probably be here for a little while. I'll be back to check on you soon."

"Can I make a phone call?"

"Of course. No problem. If you need me, just push that red button there."

"Thank you."

Emily reached for her cell phone, which she had placed on the table next to the bed. She selected Spencer's contact and waited. After a few rings, she heard Spencer voice on the other end.

"Hey, you." Spencer said, happily. "Taking an early lunch break?"

"Not exactly...um, I need you to not freak out...but I'm in the hospital." Emily said, calmly.

"Oh, my God. What happened? Are you all right..." Spencer asked, panicked.

"I said not to freak out. I'll be fine. I got bitten by a snake at work, but I'll be okay."

"What kind of a snake?"

"We're pretty sure it was a Copperhead."

"Em, those are venomous..." There was obvious worry in Spencer's tone.

"I know, but I'm fine. Calm down, okay? The doctor said he doesn't think the snake injected enough venom to cause any damage."

"Thank God. I'll go tell your mom and we'll get to the hospital as soon as possible."

"Okay. Do me a favor and don't tell my mom it was a Copperhead bite. I know she'll freak out. I just want her to see that I'm fine before she finds out it was a venomous snake."

"I won't tell her."

"Thanks, Spence."

"We'll see you as soon as possible."

"Okay. No rush. I'll be here." Emily said, calmly.

Emily ended the call and set her phone back down on the table next to the bed.

* * *

 

It was about twenty minutes later when Emily's nurse returned to the room.

"You have a couple of visitors." The nurse said. "Do you feel up to having some company?"

"Sure." Emily smiled.

"Okay. I'll let them in."

Emily's smile quickly turned to a look of confusion when instead of her mother and Spencer, she saw Stephanie enter the room with Bryce in her arms.

"Stephanie? What are you doing here?" Emily asked genuinely surprised. "How did you even know I was in here?"

"I have a friend who works here. When she saw your name on the admissions list, she called me and asked if I knew."

"Isn't that like a privacy violation or something?" Emily asked.

"Technically, probably, yes…but what happened to you?"

"Snake bite." Emily held her arm up.

"Are you okay?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm fine." Emily nodded. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Well, they weren't going to let me in, but I told your nurse that your son really needed to see you and she agreed to let us in."

Emily just stared at Stephanie, a disapproving look gracing her features.

"I'm sorry. I just got scared. I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"I appreciate the concern, but you really shouldn't have lied."

"I know...I just..."

A moment later both Pam and Spencer walked through the door to Emily's room. They both stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing Stephanie in the room.

"My poor little baby." Pam rushed to Emily's side, ignoring Stephanie and her annoyance for the time being. "Are you all right, honey?"

"I'm fine, mom. Just a slight mishap."

"How did you get bitten by a snake?" Pam asked.

"I didn't see it and I stepped on it. I guess he didn't like that very much, I can't blame him for biting me."

"Do you know what kind of snake it was?"

"A Copperhead…"

"Emily." Pam's eyes widened.

"Before you freak out, I've already seen the doctor and he said I'm okay, he doesn't think enough venom got in to hurt me."

"But look at your poor arm. It's so red and swollen. Are you sure you're fine?" Pam asked, taking Emily's hand in her own.

"Yeah. Don't worry. It wasn't even one of those really dangerous snakes who's venom makes you go crazy and like eats your flesh and stuff, it's just a little swelling, it's not like they'll have to amputate my arm or anything."

"Oh Emily, do you have to be so morbid?" Pam said, sounding genuinely horrified.

"Sorry, mom, but really, I'm okay."

"What's in this IV?" Pam asked, pointing to the tube in Emily's arm.

"They're giving me morphine for the pain."

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Spencer asked, placing her hand behind Emily's head and gently stroking her hair.

"Some, but the Morphine's working. It's not so bad."

"How long are they keeping you in here?" Spencer asked.

"I'm not sure yet. The doctor said he wants to keep an eye on the swelling around the bite for a while. I'm not staying in here all night though."

"You'll do what ever the doctor says." Pam said, utilizing a stern tone of voice.

"Yes, ma'am." Emily said, slightly sarcastically as she looked up at Bryce who was fidgeting a little in Stephanie's arms.

"Mommy, down." Bryce said.

"You have to behave, okay?" Stephanie said, staring the toddler in the eyes.

"Kay." Bryce replied.

Stephanie then set Bryce down. The second his feet hit the ground, he toddled over to the side of Emily's bed, near where Spencer was standing. He stared up at Emily with wide, concerned eyes.

"Hey, kiddo." Emily smiled.

"Boo boo." Bryce said, pointing to the wound on Emily's arm.

"Yeah. I got a little boo boo." Emily mock frowned.

Emily watched as Bryce pressed his fingers to his lips, then gently reached up and touched her forearm, near the wound.

"All better." Bryce giggled.

Staring down at the toddler, Emily felt her heart swell, her breath catch in her throat and she felt her eyes prick, with threatening tears, though she quickly fought them back and recomposed herself.

"Better." Emily smiled, looking down at Bryce. "Thanks, buddy."

Bryce then reached up and wrapped his tiny hand around Emily's fingers and squeezed them tight.

A moment later, Emily's nurse walked back into the room.

"How's the pain?" The nurse asked. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah. I feel okay." Emily nodded.

"Good. How could you not feel better with this cutie by your side?" The nurse said, motioning toward Bryce. "I'm really glad your son's here for you."

Pam glanced at Emily, who averted her eyes. Pam's gaze then shifted to Stephanie. Pam narrowed her eyes at the blonde, but didn't speak as the nurse checked Emily's IV. Spencer stared at Emily, confused.

"The doctor should be back in to check on you soon." The nurse said.

"Okay, thank you." Emily replied.

Once the nurse had left again, Pam looked over at Stephanie.

"What exactly is going on here?" Pam asked, sternly.

"I heard Emily was in the ER, so I came down here to make sure she was okay." Stephanie said.

"How did you find out? Did Emily call you?" Pam's gaze fell back to her daughter.

Before Emily had the chance to protest the statement, Stephanie spoke up.

"No, she didn't. I know someone who works here. She saw Emily's name on the admissions list and she called me."

"And the nurse thinks Bryce is Emily's son because..." Pam said quietly, so that Bryce couldn't hear, though he was preoccupied with Emily and wasn't paying attention anyway.

"Because that's what I told her." Stephanie said, truthfully. "When we got here, they weren't going to let us in, so I told them Emily's son needed to see her. That's the only way I thought they'd let me in."

"You can go home." Pam said. "Spencer and I can handle taking care of Emily just fine. She doesn't really need an entire entourage right now."

"I'm sorry, I never meant to cause any problems, I was just worried, that's all." Stephanie said. "But, we'll go."

Stephanie walked over to the bed.

"Come on sweetie, we need to go." Stephanie picked her son up, but he didn't let go of Emily's fingers.

"No." Bryce said.

"Sweetie, we need to let Emily get some rest so she can feel better. You want her to feel better don't you?"

Bryce whined, but let go of Emily.

"Feel better, Em." Stephanie gave Emily a weak smile.

"Thanks."

When Stephanie turned Bryce waved to Emily the whole way to the door. To which Emily waved back with a smile.

* * *

 

About an hour later.

The doctor walked into Emily's hospital room once again.

"Hi, Emily, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked, approaching the bed.

"I feel a lot better."

"It doesn't look like your arm is any more swollen than it was when you came in, that's a good sign."

"How much longer will she need to be in here?" Pam asked.

"We should be able to discharge her shortly. We'll send her home with some antibiotics and pain medication. You'll want to keep an eye on the wound for at least the next few days. If you notice any signs of infection, such as additional swelling or pain or your arm feels hot to the touch or the wound starts to ooze pus, you'll want to come back here immediately."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"You'll also want to take it easy for the next few days, the wound is probably going to be sore and your arm will most likely be a little tender." The doctor then turned to Pam. "I'll send the nurse in to get her ready to go home."

"Thank you." Pam said.

"You're welcome." The doctor smiled before exiting the room.

"I'm gonna go use the restroom. I'll be right back." Spencer said.

"Okay." Emily glanced over at Spencer, who had been seated in the chair next to the bed for the past hour, holding the architect's hand.

Spencer stood up and disappeared out of the room, she walked down the hall and to the ER's waiting room. Spencer was on her way across the almost empty room when she noticed Stephanie sitting in one of the chairs in the corner of the room, near the discharge desk. Spencer approached the blonde.

"What are you still doing here?" Spencer asked, causing Stephanie to look up.

"I'm waiting to see how Emily is." Stephanie said, matter-of-factly.

"Where's your son?"

"I had my mom pick him up, I didn't know how long I'd be here."

"You shouldn't be here at all." Spencer's said, with an annoyed tone.

"Look, I do still care about her, okay?" Stephanie stood up.

"Oh, I think there's more to it than that." Spencer said, defensively. "It's really funny how you didn't want anything to do with Emily for over a year, then you find out she's back in town and suddenly you're all over her."

"I'm not all over her. We ran into each other completely by accident and I asked her to watch Bryce one time because I was desperate and she happens to be one of the few good people out there that I know I can trust with my son."

"Yeah. About that. I won't stand by and let you use your son as leverage to get Emily back. You had your chance and you let her go. You chose to break her heart and you lost a kind, gentle, sensitive person and no doubt an amazing mother for your son." Spencer stared Stephanie hard in the eyes. "I think you and I both know that Emily still loves that little boy a lot. And I swear to God, if you use him to take advantage of her, you and I are gonna have a huge problem. And do not underestimate me…"

"Are you threatening me?" Stephanie snorted.

"I'm just saying, I've fought hard to be with Emily. We've been through a lot these last few months. She loves me and I love her more than anything. I think you need to back off."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"Just give it up. Emily doesn't want you anymore. What part of that don't you understand? She worked her ass off to make sure that you and your son had everything you needed. And you repay her by walking out without so much as an explanation to her face. Not to mention you never even told her that your son still has her last name. What's wrong with you?"

"Look, when you've been through everything that I have, then you can judge me and the choices I've made." Stephanie retorted.

"Well, that's never gonna happen because I would never cheat on Emily with some loser, get myself knocked up and force her to take care of me and my kid so I didn't have to."

"Okay, let's get something straight here. I never forced Emily to do anything. She stayed because she wanted to. Sometimes I don't know why, but she did..." 

"I don't know either." Spencer crossed her arms over her chest. 

"You east coast girls think you're so perfect. You have this huge sense of entitlement." Stephanie shook her head. "Well, let me tell you something, honey, you're no better than I am. Yes, I've made mistakes in my life, but I've taken responsibility for my actions and you don't get to stand here and imply that I'm a bad mother or that I don't take care of my son. You don't even know the half of it. I would do absolutely anything for Bryce, I work hard to provide for him every single day, he's everything to me." Stephanie's voice quivered a little as she tried to keep herself from crying. "As for Emily, I told her that I was sorry. I don't know what else I can do. I screwed up. I should have talked to her, I realize that..."

"It's a little too late for that." Spencer cut the blonde off. "She's happy with me now. Emily might be too sweet and too nice to tell you to get lost, but I'm not. I don't trust you one bit and Emily doesn't need a toxic person like you in her life."

"Whatever." Stephanie gritted her teeth. "I'm leaving."

"You know, as angry as I am that you could be so cold and heartless to hurt someone as sweet and wonderful as Emily, I still feel like I owe you a thank you because now I get to be with her and show her the love and appreciation that she deserves."

"I'm glad she's happy. Tell her that I hope she feels better." Stephanie said before turning and heading toward the door.

Stephanie slowly made her way to her SUV and climbed inside. She closed her eyes and blinked away the tears that had crept up on her. Now, more than ever, Stephanie had come to the realization that she truly missed Emily. She missed Emily's strength, her passion, her positive outlook on life and her incredible ability to make any situation better by always being able to see the storm cloud's silver lining. Stephanie reached up and wiped away her tears with the heel of her hand. Spencer's words stung, not simply because of the harshness of what was said, but because of the truth behind some of the words. Stephanie knew that Spencer was right when she had alleged that due to her actions, Stephanie had lost the best possible mother for her son. Stephanie couldn't help but imagine what her life would be like today, if only she had gone to Emily and tried to make amends.

* * *

 

When Spencer returned to Emily's room, she walked back over to the bed.

"Is everything okay?" Emily asked.

"Sure. Why?"

"You were just gone a while."

"They were cleaning the restrooms down here, I had to go upstairs." Spencer said, deciding that at the moment, Emily didn't need the added stress of hearing about her confrontation with Stephanie.

"Oh. Okay. The nurse just left to get my prescription orders, as soon as she comes back, she said she'd take out my IV and bandage up my arm, so I can get out of here."

"That's great." Spencer smiled. "Are you sure you're feeling all right, though? You don't have to be brave..."

"I'm fine. I promise."

"When we leave here, I'll drop you two off at home, then I'll go get your prescriptions." Pam said.

"I can go get them." Emily said. "It's no big deal. My motorcycle is still at the base too, I…"

"Don't worry about work or your motorcycle. I want you to just relax, honey. The doctor said to take it easy. Is there anything special you want me to make you for dinner?"

"Well…if I get to pick…I could really go for some pork chops."

"Of course, baby." Pam smiled and ran her fingers through Emily's hair.

After a few minutes, Emily's nurse returned. She disconnected the IV, then carefully wrapped Emily's forearm in a gauze bandage to cover the snakebite wound.

"Okay, you can go ahead and get dressed. Just stop by the discharge desk to check out and you're free to go."

"Thank you." Emily said.

"No problem." The nurse smiled and patted Emily's shoulder before leaving the room once again.

"I'll get your clothes." Spencer walked across the room and picked up Emily's clothing that had been sitting on one of the chairs near the door.

"I'm going to go out to the waiting room and let your father know you're going home." Pam said. "Meet me out there where you're ready."

"Okay." Emily nodded as she got up from the bed.

"Did you see the holes that snake put in your jeans?" Spencer asked.

"No, I didn't notice."

Spencer held up the leg of Emily's jeans, near bottom there were two perfect, round holes where the snakes fangs had pierced the material.

"Good thing I have to wear boots to work."

"For sure." Spencer nodded. "I just wish that snake didn't get your arm."

"It's okay." Emily said, slipping her jeans back on and buckling her belt. "It didn't go very deep."

"I'm not surprised, it was probably too much effort trying to get through these big, muscled arms." Spencer said as she gently squeezed Emily's uninjured forearm.

"I don't know about that. But, thanks." Emily smiled as she tossed her hospital gown onto the bed and slipped her shirt back on.

"Here are your boots." Spencer said, setting the boots down in front of her girlfriend.

Emily took a minute to put her boots on, she then bent down to tie them before standing back up.

"You ready?" Spencer asked.

"Yep. Let's get out of here." Emily said. "I hate hospitals."


	69. Chapter 69

Two days later.

"I really can't believe that you have to leave this afternoon." Emily said as she folded a pair of Spencer's jeans and placed them neatly into the suitcase on the bed.

"I know. I'm gonna miss you so much. I'm obviously not happy that you got bitten by that snake, but at least it's given you a couple of days off work."

"It's been totally worth it." Emily took a step toward Spencer and placed her hands on either side of the brunette's face.

"How's your arm feeling?" Spencer placed her hand over the bandage on Emily's forearm.

"It's fine. Just a little sore, but I'll survive."

"I'm glad you're okay." Spencer smiled before pressing her lips to Emily's.

"You said your flight's at two fifteen, right?" Emily asked as they slowly separated.

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded.

"We should probably be heading to the airport pretty soon."

"We have plenty of time. It's still early." Spencer said.

"I know, I just don't want you to miss your flight. I'm sure your dad would have my head if you did."

"I don't even want to go to this dinner. I hate mingling with my dad's clients. It's so boring. I wish I didn't have to leave you."

"Me too. But, you do have to get back to school and I know your family misses you. Did we get all of your stuff packed?"

"I think this is it." Spencer said, placing a few t shirts and two pairs of boxer shorts on top in the suitcase. "Well...actually this stuff is yours." Spencer said, picking up the few articles of clothing she had just packed. "You want them back?"

"You go ahead and keep them." Emily smiled, placing her hands on top of the clothing that Spencer was holding.

"Thanks, Em."

"No problem...oh and don't forget this." Emily picked up Spencer's stuffed giraffe and handed it to her.

"I could never." Spencer smiled as she packed the stuffed animal into her carry on bag.

"There will be someone at the airport in Philly to pick you up, right?"

"Yeah. Melissa will be there. I texted her a little while ago."

"Okay."

Spencer then zipped up her suitcase and turned to face Emily once again. She stared up at the architect with sad eyes.

"No, don't look at me that way." Emily said, reaching down and taking both of Spencer's hands.

"I can't help it. I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'm gonna miss you too." Emily reached up and gently placed her hand on the brunette's cheek. "If I didn't have work to keep me occupied, I'd probably go crazy."

Emily then took Spencer's hand and led her over to the arm chair in the corner of the room.

"Come here." Emily sat down and patted her lap.

Spencer happily sat down across Emily's lap and swung her legs over one of the chairs arms.

"I wish you didn't have to be so far away." Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck.

"So do I. " Emily slipped one arm behind Spencer's back and the other around her waist, pulling her closer.

Emily leaned forward and placed a reassuring kiss to Spencer's forehead. Emily's frequent reassurance somehow always managed to put Spencer's mind at ease.

Spencer smiled to herself and nestled her face against Emily's shoulder.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

"You two about ready to head to the airport?" Pam asked.

"Yeah." Emily nodded.

"Missus Fields, thank you so much for having me here for a whole week." Spencer said. "I really, really appreciate it."

"You're very welcome, honey. We loved having you here. You know you're welcome to visit any time."

"Thank you." Spencer gave Pam a warm smile.

"I'm gonna go put your bags in the car." Emily said, turning toward Spencer. "I'll be right back."

"Thanks."

Once Emily had walked out, Pam turned to Spencer.

"Spencer, honey, before you leave, I just want to thank you." Pam said.

"Thank me? For what?" Spencer asked, curiously. "I don't understand."

"I want to thank you for being there for Emily." Pam said, reaching down and taking Spencer's hands in her own. "She's had such a hard time this past year and a half, but you came along and put her back together. Since she's been with you, I've seen such a huge change in her. She's the happiest I've seen her in a long time."

Spencer noticed the corners of Pam's eyes begin to well up with tears.

"Emily's such a wonderful person." Spencer said. "She's the strongest, sweetest person I know. I don't understand how anyone could have ever let her go, but I'm so happy to have her."

"I wasn't sure that Emily would ever be able to trust again. Thank you for changing her mind and opening her heart."

"Everything okay?" Emily asked walking back into the house.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart." Pam smiled. "Spencer, have a safe trip. Let us know as soon as you get home."

"I will."

Pam then let go of Spencer's hands and enveloped the brunette in a motherly embrace. Spencer smiled into Pam's shoulder, happily returning the embrace.

When they got to the front door, Emily reached up and took her jacket from the hook on the wall.

"Here, Spence, why don't you take my jacket with you." Emily held out her leather jacket, waiting for Spencer to slip her arms through. "I checked the weather and Philly's got a couple inches of snow."

"Thanks. You know, you might not ever get this back." Spencer laughed, pulling the zipper upward.

"That's okay. I can always buy a new one. It looks better on you anyway."

"I'm not sure about that. You look pretty hot in leather."

Emily smirked as she and Spencer walked out the door.

"So, what were you and my mom talking about before I came in?" Emily asked as she and Spencer walked toward the car.

"Oh, nothing really. Just saying goodbye and thank you."

"I think my mom really likes you." Emily smiled as she opened the passenger door for Spencer.

"I think she does too." Spencer agreed. "And I'm really thankful for that. I was so nervous."

"You never had anything to be nervous about. Everything about you is perfect." Emily leaned over the top of the open car door and placed a kiss on Spencer's lips.

* * *

Emily stood across from Spencer in the airport terminal. Spencer stared up at Emily, her eyes sad and her heart heavy as she heard the final boarding call for her flight being paged over the intercom. Emily closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed the lump in her throat before she could will herself to speak.

"Well, that's you." Emily took Spencer's hand her in own.

"I don't wanna go."

"I don't want you to either, but we don't have much of a choice. It's only for a few months."

"It feels like forever."

"It sure does. But we'll still talk every day, just like we always do."

"Promise?"

"Of course." Emily reached up, placed her hand on Spencer's cheek and gently stroked it with her thumb.

Spencer wrapped her hand around Emily's forearm as she reached up to kiss the architect. Emily closed her eyes, her heart ached as the realization of Spencer's pending departure finally began to sink in. After a few long moments, they separated.

"Thank you for everything. This week was even better than I hoped it would be and New Years was amazing."

"Thanks for coming down to spend the week with me. I'm so glad your parents let you visit."

"Me too. And when you come home, make sure you bring your motorcycle. I'd love to ride with you again."

"Consider it done and please let me know as soon as you get back to Philadelphia."

"I will." Spencer nodded. "Don't worry."

Emily opened her mouth to say goodbye, but was quickly cut off by her girlfriend.

"No, you know how I feel about using the g-word."

"Sorry." Emily smiled weakly. "Have a safe trip home." She wrapped her arms tightly around Spencer.

"I love you." Emily said as she pulled back and kissed Spencer's forehead.

"I love you too." Spencer wrapped her arms tightly around Emily, wanting to feel the comfort of being in her girlfriend's arms one last time.

Spencer closed her eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of Emily's coconut shampoo as it mingled with the musky scent of the architect's perfume.

"I'll call you as soon as I can." Spencer spoke into Emily's shoulder.

"I'll be waiting." Emily said softly, her hand comfortingly moving up and down Spencer's back.

Spencer then used the heel of her hand to wipe away the tears that had formed in her eyes, before hesitantly letting go of Emily and making her way to the terminal door, just in time to board the flight.

* * *

"Hi, honey, how was the drive to the airport?" Pam asked as Emily walked into the living room.

"It was fine. I just miss Spencer already." Emily sighed heavily as she flopped down into the large armchair next to the coffee table. "I don't even know when we'll be able to see each other again."

"Poor baby." Pam ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "How about you let me make you some hot chocolate?"

"That'd be great. Thank you."

After a few minutes, Pam returned with two mugs filled with hot chocolate.

"Here, sweetie." Pam handed Emily one of the mugs. "I put in extra mini marshmallows, just how you like it."

"Thanks, mom." Emily smiled.

"So...let me ask you something…" Emily said. "You do like Spencer, don't you?" Emily looked up at her mother.

"Of course. You know, Emily, you're going to marry that girl someday. I can feel it." Pam said, matter-of-factly, as she sat down on the couch.

Emily laughed. "I still think it's a little soon to be thinking about marriage…"

"I'm just saying, there's a lot between you two and someday it'll happen. Maybe not necessarily soon, but eventually."

"I hope so. But we still have a ways to go. And I've still gotta work on winning over Mister Hastings, so when that time does come and I ask his permission to marry Spencer, he'll be okay with it and hopefully even happy."

"You would ask him for permission?" Pam asked.

"Well...yeah. Why not?"

"You didn't go to Stephanie's father, or did you?"

"I didn't. I mean, I wanted to, I planned to before I found out she was pregnant. But, once I knew she was having a baby, the circumstances kind of changed...but anyway, I'm so glad you and dad got to meet Spencer."

"So am I. She's so sweet and she really cares for you. I've been praying that you'd find a nice girl. Someone who's genuine and you can really settle down with."

"Well, I do see Spencer as someone that I could settle down with." Emily said, lifting her mug to her lips.

"That's wonderful. I really do think Spencer's a good match. She's a little on the young side for you, but I think she's very mature for her age."

"She definitely is. That's one of the many things I love about her. She's been really patient and understanding with me. You don't get that from most girls her age."

"No, you don't. That's why you better hang on to her."

"I plan to. For a long, long time."

* * *

When Spencer's flight finally landed in Philadelphia, she stepped off of the plane and headed to the terminal. She made her way through the crowd and looked around until she spotted her sister standing near the baggage claim carousel.

"Hey, Melissa." Spencer said.

"Spence. Hey." Melissa smiled. "How was your trip?"

"It was great."

"Good. Were you nervous to meet Emily's parents?"

"Oh my God, yes. But they seem to like me."

"That's great. What are her parents like?"

"Emily's so much like her dad, they're the same height, they have the same eyes and very similar personalities. He's in the Army, but he's super easy going. He's one of the nicest men I've ever met."

"And her mom?"

"She's like the perfect housewife and mom. The house is spotless, nothing's ever out of place and she's an amazing cook. She babys Emily all the time. It's cute. Emily is her everything, so I was especially nervous about spending time alone with her."

"Since you stayed a few extra days, things must have gone well."

"They did. Her mom was so nice to me."

"I'm glad to hear it. How was your New Years?"

"It was the best New Years ever. Emily surprised me with this gorgeous black and gold Gucci dress, a pair of Louboutins, and this beautiful diamond pendant." Spencer reached up and touched the diamond hanging around her neck that she hadn't taken off since Emily had given it to her on New Years Eve. "She even rented us a limo for the night and took me to this really nice authentic French restaurant."

"Wow. She went all out. That's pretty romantic. Not to mention you guys are only a few months in and she's already buying you diamonds. You're a lucky girl."

"I really am." Spencer nodded. "How about you, what did you and Wren do for New Years?"

"We went to dinner then just hung out and mingled at mom and dad's party the rest of the night. Some of dad's friends asked about you, he told them you were spending New Years with your girlfriend and he honestly had some pretty nice things to say about Emily."

Spencer's eyes lit up as she looked over at her older sister. "Seriously?"

"Uh huh." Melissa nodded. "I know it's been a struggle for you guys with dad, but I think things are finally going to start getting better."

"I hope so. It's about time."

"How's Emily's job?"

"Hold on a second, I think I see my bag." Spencer stepped up to the baggage carousel and yanked her suitcase out from underneath another bag.

"Is that all you have?" Melissa asked.

"Yep."

"All right. Let's get going then. We need to get to the country club so dad doesn't throw a fit."

Spencer and Melissa turned and began walking through the airport toward the exit.

"So anyway, does Emily like her job?" Melissa asked, adjusting the scarf around her neck.

"Yeah. I met her boss at his New Years party that we stopped at and he seems pretty nice. Emily's been off work the last couple of days though."

"Why?"

"The other day she got bitten by a snake on the job site and the doctor told her to take a few days off."

"Oh my God, that's terrible. Is she all right?"

"Yeah. She's pretty tough. The snake bit her on the arm, she was in the hospital for a few hours for the doctor to monitor the bite, but he decided that she was okay to go home."

"Well, that's good. What else did you guys do?"

"Oh, she took me for a ride on her motorcycle." Spencer said, excitedly. "That was fun. I mean it was a little scary at first, but fun."

"Does dad know that Emily has a motorcycle and a tattoo?" Melissa laughed.

"Nope. And I don't think he needs to know. At least not right now...wait...how did you know that Emily has a tattoo?" Spencer glanced over at Melissa as they neared the exit.

"I've seen it. It's on her shoulder. We had some pretty warm days in the beginning of September and when she wears a tank top, it's kinda hard to miss. It's pretty big."

"Mmm, I do love when she wears tank tops." Spencer smirked. "I mean come on, have you seen all of those muscles?"

Melissa laughed. "Yeah, she is on the buff side, isn't she?"

"Totally."

"I can't believe I didn't realize you were into her." Melissa said as she and Spencer stepped outside. "You started hanging around the house a lot more, she was rarely ever out of your sight and I remember you flipped out on me one day because you said I was rude to her. I should have known you were crushing on her."

"I didn't flip out just because I had a crush on her. You were pretty rude and Emily's too nice to deserve that."

"Maybe I could have been a little nicer..."

When they reached Melissa's car, Spencer placed her bags into the trunk and got into the passenger seat.

"So...can I ask your advice about something?" Spencer said.

"Sure...what is it?" Melissa asked as she backed out of the parking spot and headed toward the highway.

"Do you remember Emily saying that she used to be engaged?"

"I think I remember her mentioning it, but she didn't really elaborate. Why?"

"Well, a few days before I went to Texas, she ran into her ex. They hadn't seen each other in over a year and a half. Then, while I was there, Emily's mom and I also ran into her and she showed up at the hospital too."

"You're worried that Emily will want to get back with her ex? I don't think you have to worry, Emily's obviously crazy about you."

"Normally I don't think I'd worry, but there's a kid involved and..."

"Wait, Emily has a kid?" Melissa's tone was very surprised.

"Not exactly. Long story short, her ex cheated and accidentally got pregnant. She and Emily worked things out and Emily was supposed to legally adopt the baby, but her ex left before that happened."

"I had no idea. Poor Emily."

"I know. She raised the baby as her own son for a year. He's two now and she saw him again for the first time since her ex left. She obviously still loves him. I know Emily wouldn't cheat on me or anything, but I just don't trust her ex fiancée. Since things didn't work out with the father, I feel like she's trying to use her son to play Emily's emotions so she can get her back."

"That's awful. Who does something like that?"

Spencer shrugged. "What do I do? I mean I told the girl to back off, but I don't know if she will."

"I still don't think you have anything to worry about. Emily's smart, I'm sure if her ex tries anything Emily'll see through it."

"I hope so. I just don't want her to end up getting hurt again."

"I understand. Have you and Emily sat down and talked about everything?"

"Of course."

"Then, I'm sure everything will be fine. Just try to relax. What's her ex like anyway? I mean, I'm sure you're way cuter, right?"

"She's a lot shorter than I am. Blonde, blue eyes and she has way bigger boobs than I do. She's not ugly, I really wish she was, but she's not."

"Don't let her ex threaten you. There's a reason Emily's with you. Besides, Hastings women are confident. We don't wear insecurity well." Melissa smirked.

"Thanks, Melissa."

"No problem. Feel better?"

"Yeah. You know what? I do."

* * *

The next morning at school.

"Wait, so let me get this straight...that slut had the nerve to ask Emily to babysit that kid?" Hanna said, closing her locker and turning around to face Spencer.

"Yeah."

"And Emily actually said yes." Alison snorted. "What the hell's wrong with her?"

"I can't blame her. Even though Stephanie screwed her over, Emily's too nice to hold a grudge. After seeing Emily with Bryce, I feel bad for her. I think she really misses being a mom."

"Why?" Alison rolled her eyes. "She should be glad she's not stuck taking care of some snot-nosed little brat."

"He's not a brat." Spencer said, sincerely. "He's a really sweet little kid and Emily's so good with him. I just wish there was something I could do for her."

"You can always go get yourself knocked up." Alison said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to take care of another kid. She apparently really likes being a complete sucker."

"Shut up, Alison. If you're not gonna be helpful don't even bother opening your mouth." Spencer snapped. "I'm sorry that you've never felt an ounce of compassion or sympathy for anyone. I don't know what your problem is, but I actually care about Emily's feelings. It's too bad that you're so jealous of our relationship."

"Me jealous? Get real. I'm outta here." Alison then turned and walked down the hall without saying another word.

"Don't let her get to you." Aria said. "Emily's not a sucker at all. She's sweet and she cares about people. Now, is there any way that Emily could like try to get custody or something? I mean, your parents are lawyers, they can help her, right?"

"Unfortunately, there's nothing they can do. Emily doesn't have any legal rights, since there was no official adoption paperwork filed. Even if there was, Emily would never try to take Bryce from Stephanie. She's still his mother."

"It's okay though." Hanna said. "It might be hard for Emily, but she doesn't have to worry. Eventually you guys will get to have a kid together, just like you're supposed to."

"Thanks, Han." Spencer smiled. "That would be great. Emily's so cute with kids. You should have seen her with Bryce. They played trains and dinosaurs and she read to him. It was adorable."

"I bet. What could possibly be cuter than a total hottie who's good with kids? That's sexy. Oh and I almost forgot, how did you like the dress and heels she got you for your date?"

"I loved them. They were perfect."

"I know, right? It was so adorable when she called me for help. She was so flustered. She doesn't know shit about clothes, but she has great taste in jewelry. I can totally see that working out to your advantage."

Spencer and Aria just laughed.

"So, do you know when you'll get to see her again?" Aria asked.

"I'm not sure. We're hoping maybe she'll be able to fly up for a weekend or something, otherwise she still has a few months left of work to do."

"That's not terrible. You guys made through last month okay." Aria said.

"Yeah. I miss her, but we'll be all right."

"Of course you will. Besides, now that you're home, we'll keep you plenty busy." Hanna threw her arm around Spencer's shoulder as they headed off toward their classroom.

 

 


	70. Chapter 70

It was early that evening when Spencer returned home from school, she found a large white box with a red bow tied around it sitting on the front porch, which was addressed to her. She picked it up, carried it inside and set it on the kitchen counter. Spencer took off her book bag and laid it on the counter as well before opening the box. Inside, she found a dozen deep red roses. Spencer pulled out the small attached card and opened it.

Spencer,

I wanted to get you roses on New Years, but I wasn't sure they'd survive the plane ride back to Pennsylvania. So, I'm sending them to you a little late. I hope you don't mind. I love you and I can't wait until we can be together again.

Love,

Emily.

Spencer smiled to herself as she set the card down and pulled her phone from her pocket. She dialed Emily's number and let it ring, assuming Emily was still at work and wouldn't pick up, she waited for Emily's voicemail message to play.

"Hi, Em. I know you're probably still working, but I just wanted to call and say thank you for the roses. I just got them. You're adorable and so sweet. Call me when you get a chance. Love you."

Spencer then ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She found a vase underneath the kitchen sink, filled it with water and placed the flowers inside. A few minutes later, the back door in the kitchen opened and Peter stepped inside.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hi, dad. You're home pretty early."

"My last meeting of the day got canceled." Peter brushed off a few flakes of snow from his coat before hanging it up.

"Where'd the roses come from?" Peter asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Emily sent them."

"That was nice of her." Peter said as he walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door.

"I know. She said she wanted to give them to me on New Year's Eve, but she didn't know how they'd survive the plane ride home."

"Not well, I'd imagine...how was your trip anyway? We didn't really have much of a chance to talk last night."

"The trip was great..." Spencer smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Why don't we go out for dinner and you can tell me about it?" Peter closed the refrigerator door and turned around empty handed.

"You mean like just you and me?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. Your mother's going to be buried in paper work at the courthouse with the new case she's working on, so she won't be home until late tonight, Wren's working the overnight shift and you know Thursday's your sister's late night, so that leaves us to fend for ourselves."

"So naturally we go out to dinner." Spencer laughed.

"Of course. You know my cooking skills aren't the greatest." Peter laughed too. "How do you feel about heading to that new sports bar near The Grille? It's wing night. Maybe we can even catch some of the hockey game? Unless you'd rather go somewhere else, that's fine too."

"No, wing night sounds great. Let's go."

"Great. Just let me get out of this suit and we can go."

"Okay. I'll get my coat."

* * *

"So, tell me about your trip." Peter said, picking up his beer glass and taking a sip. "How was Texas?"

"It was a lot warmer than it is here, that's for sure. But I did kind of miss having snow on New Years."

"Did you and Emily go out?"

"We did." Spencer couldn't help but smile.

"I hope she took you somewhere nice." Peter said, reaching for a wing from the basket in the middle of the table.

"Of course she did. She made us a reservation at this really nice French restaurant. That was especially sweet because she's not that big on French food, but she knows it's one of my favorites."

"That seems like a pretty noble gesture."

"Definitely. She even rented us a limo and everything."

"A limo? Wow. Sounds like you sure had a good time."

"I really did. It was probably the best date I've ever been on. Emily's just so great and sweet."

"I'm glad that you're happy, but...listen Spence, I just don't want you to get ahead of yourself and start moving too fast, okay? I don't want you to feel pressured because Emily's older and-"

"Dad..." Spencer cut her father off, quickly realizing where the conversation was headed. "We really don't need to have this conversation."

"I know we don't need to." Peter said. "And I realize that, I'm not really great with talking about this sort of thing, but this is your first serious relationship and I just want to tell you to take things at your own pace and know that you don't need to feel obligated to do anything that…you know…" Peter took in a deep breath and stared down at the table. "You might not be ready for…"

"It's okay, dad. Mom and I have had this talk already." Spencer smiled at her father's good-hearted, though slightly awkward attempt at a sex talk.

"Oh, that's good..." Peter said, relieved.

"But, just so you know, I've never felt obligated to do anything with Emily. She's never pressured me. Not even once."

"I'm very glad to hear that…so, how's Emily's job going?"

"It's going. They're on schedule and she seems to like the job. I'm glad she's getting to spend some time with her parents, but I can't wait until she comes back."

Spencer stared down at her phone in the middle of the table as it began vibrating.

"Who is it?" Peter asked.

"It's Emily."

"Why don't you take it?"

"I'll just be a second."

"Hello?" Spencer said, accepting the call.

"Hi, Spence. I got your message. I'm glad you liked the roses."

"They're beautiful. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. What are you up to?"

"I'm actually out to dinner with my dad. Can I call you back when I get home?"

"Absolutely. Enjoy your dinner, I'll talk to you later. Tell your dad I said hello."

"Kay. Bye, Em."

Spencer ended the call and set her phone back down on the table.

"Is everything okay?" Peter asked.

"Uh huh. I just asked her to call me when she got home from work. She said to tell you hello."

* * *

Approximately three weeks later.

It was a bright, sunny Texas afternoon. Emily sat on the edge of her bed and laced up her sneakers as she prepared for a Sunday run. Emily stood up and walked out of the room where she passed her mother in the hallway.

"Going for a run, sweetie?" Pam asked.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna go jog a few miles around the park, I'll be back in an hour or so."

"All right. Have a good run."

"Thanks, mom."

Emily left the house and jogged down the sidewalk of her neighborhood toward the local park. It wasn't long before she reached the park. The park was fairly busy this particular afternoon. There were parents and children playing as well as a few couples sitting in the grass. Emily reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. She gradually slowed her pace and eventually stopped for a moment to catch her breath and change the song on her phone. Emily smiled as she noticed a bulldog on a leash snuffling as he walked down the sidewalk with his owner. She tugged at the thin material of her tank top, which was clinging tightly to her body. Emily inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled as she lifted the bottom of her tank top to wipe the sweat from her face.

"Em?" A voice said from behind her.

Emily turned around, pulling her shirt back down in the process, to find Stephanie sitting on the bench behind her. Emily had been so focused on running that she never even noticed that the young woman on the bench was her ex fiancée.

"Why don't you sit down before you keel over?" Stephanie said, her eyes slowly wandering from Emily's tan, toned legs, all the way up her body.

Stephanie watched a few beads of sweat slowly drip down Emily's chest and soak into the material of her dark gray tank top. The architect inhaled another deep breath and took a seat, next to the blonde.

Emily glanced over at Stephanie. "How are you?"

"I'm all right. Are you okay?" Stephanie asked, noticing that Emily was still breathing rather heavily.

"I'm fine. Just been working out a lot. Trying to lose a few pounds."

"Why?" Stephanie closed the book that was in her lap. "You look..." She hesitated a moment. "Great."

"Thanks. I have a wedding in a couple of months. Just making sure I'll still fit into my suit, that's all."

"Wedding?" Stephanie's heart dropped down to her stomach. "You're getting married?"

"Oh, no. I'm not getting married." Emily chuckled. "Spencer's sister is."

"Oh." Stephanie breathed a small sigh of relief.

"So...Um, what are you up to today?" Emily asked.

"Bryce wanted to come to the park." Stephanie pointed toward her son, who was playing in the sandbox a few feet away. "And I had some studying to do." She held up the accounting book she had been reading.

"How much longer do you have until you graduate?"

"This is my last semester. I've taken extra classes in between every semester and I even took summer classes, so I'll graduate in May."

"Wow, that's awesome. I'm glad to hear that."

"So...how have you been?"

"Good. Pretty busy, like the rest of the world. I spend most of my free time doing stuff around the house for my mom and talking to Spencer as much as I can. We try to have a Skype date at least once a week."

"I'm sorry if I've caused any tension between you two."

"Spencer and I are just fine. I miss her a lot and this long distance thing isn't exactly easy, but we're working through it."

"Good. Hey, I uh, I know it's been a few weeks, but I want you to know that I did try check up on you after you were in the hospital, but after Spencer said you didn't want anything to do with me anymore, I thought I should just leave you alone."

"Wait, what are you talking about? When did Spencer talk to you?"

"At the hospital. After I left your room, I didn't leave the hospital. I had my mom pick up Bryce and I sat in the waiting room. Spencer came out and she saw me..."

"I had no idea. She didn't mention that."

It was at that moment that Stephanie looked up and saw her son running over to where she and Emily were sitting.

"Hi, sweetie. Are you done playing?" Stephanie asked.

Bryce tugged at the material of Stephanie's pants and pointed toward the vendor pushing an ice cream cart at the end of the sidewalk.

"You want ice cream. I should have known." Stephanie smiled. "It's his favorite food." She looked over at Emily. "I swear he'd be perfectly happy if he never ate anything else. Em, do you have time to get some ice cream with us?"

"Oh, no. I don't think I should..."

"Pwese." Bryce stared up at Emily and latched onto her leg.

Emily closed her eyes for a moment as her heart swelled in her chest.

"How could I say no to that?" Emily stood up from the bench, with Bryce still tightly holding onto her leg.

"Up. Up." Bryce reached upward toward Emily with bright eyes.

"Is it okay if I pick him up?" Emily asked, looking over at Stephanie for permission.

"Of course."

Emily then reached down and lifted the toddler up. She placed Bryce in a seated position on her shoulders. Emily held onto Bryce's ankles as she and Stephanie began walking toward the ice cream vendor. Bryce laughed as he bounced up and down with each step that Emily took.

When the vendor handed Emily the ice cream cone, she handed it up to Bryce, who was still very contently sitting on top of her shoulders. Bryce happily licked his ice cream as Emily and Stephanie walked around the park. Emily tilted her head back and looked up at Bryce, where she was met with the cold sting of a few droplets of melting ice cream landing on her cheek. Bryce then held out the cone over Emily's shoulder to hand it to Stephanie, signaling that he was finished with it. Before Stephanie could take it, a few more droplets landed and dripped down Emily's chest. Stephanie took the cone from her son and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.

"Here." Stephanie laughed as she stopped walking and pulled a napkin from her pocket.

Stephanie reached up and gently wiped the ice cream from Emily's cheek.

"I'm so sorry. You're gonna be really sticky." Stephanie said as she folded the napkin over and wiped up the drops that were running down Emily's chest.

"It's okay. I was gonna take a shower when I got home anyway. No big deal. But, I should probably be heading home. I told my mom I wouldn't be gone long."

Emily then reached up and lifted Bryce off of her shoulders. She set the toddler down, who had ice cream all over his face, shirt and hands.

"He's the messiest eater." Stephanie laughed. "I can't take him anywhere."

"Do you have some more napkins?" Emily laughed too.

Stephanie handed Emily a few napkins from her pocket. Emily crouched down to Bryce's level and wiped his face and shirt.

"What do you say we go wash your hands?" Emily asked, looking Bryce in the eyes.

"Kay." Bryce answered.

"Come on." Emily stood up and held her hand down to the toddler.

Bryce took Emily's hand and they walked toward the restroom just a few feet away.

"Hold your hands out, bud." Emily said, lifting Bryce up to the soap dispenser.

Emily held Bryce with one arm as she used her other hand to press the button on the soap dispenser. Bryce rubbed his hands together and placed them underneath the faucet, automatically turning on the water. Once his hands were clean, Emily set Bryce back down on the ground and handed him a paper towel. Once his hands were dry, Emily lifted Bryce one more time, so that he could toss the waded up ball of paper into the trashcan.

"Good job." Emily smiled.

Emily carried Bryce out of the restroom and set him down near Stephanie.

"Thanks." Stephanie smiled.

"You're welcome. I'll see you around."

"Can I give you a ride home?" Stephanie asked.

"Oh, no. It's okay. I'll run. But, thanks for the offer though."

"No problem."

"Say bye to Emily." Stephanie bent down and placed her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Bye, bye." Bryce said as he wrapped his arms around Emily's leg.

Emily smiled and crouched down until she was once again on Bryce's level.

"Bye, buddy."

Bryce then toddled in between Emily's knees and wrapped his arms around her. Emily reciprocated by wrapping her arms around the toddler's small body. Completely unprepared for the gesture, Emily bit her lip and closed her eyes, for a moment, fighting back a round of threatening tears. Stephanie stood in awe, watching. She couldn't believe how quickly Bryce had taken to Emily.

"He really loves you." Stephanie said, when Emily stood up again. "Thank you for being so sweet with him."

"How could I not be? He's such a sweet, lovable little guy. You're really lucky, Steph."

"I know." Stephanie nodded. "I wouldn't trade him for the world."

"Well, I really have to go." Emily then began jogging off in the opposite direction.

"No go…" Bryce said reaching his hand out in front of him as he watched Emily jog down the sidewalk.

Stephanie bent down and picked up her son.

"No, go." Bryce repeated, his eyes still on Emily as she disappeared on the horizon.

"I know, sweetie." Stephanie gently ran her fingers through Bryce's hair. "I wish she wouldn't go either." Stephanie said as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"No cry. Mommy." Bryce reached up and gently touched Stephanie's cheek with his tiny, stubby fingers.

"No cry." Stephanie smiled weakly as she used the heel of her free hand to wipe away her tears. "Let's head home, nana's probably wondering where we are."

 

 


	71. Chapter 71

After getting out of the shower, Emily walked back to her bedroom to get dressed. She slipped on a pair of underwear and a bra, then walked over to the closet, took a pair of jeans from a hanger and pulled them on as well. As she zipped up her jeans, Emily heard her computer ping from her desk. She walked over to her laptop and noticed that she had received a Skype request from Spencer. Emily smiled to herself as she leaned over her desk chair and happily accepted the request.

"Hey, Spence." Emily said as her girlfriend's image appeared on the screen.

"Oh. Hey, sexy." Spencer smirked upon on seeing Emily's image, noticing that she wasn't wearing a shirt. "What are you up to?"

Emily blushed a little.

"I just got out of the shower." Emily said, pulling her desk chair out and sitting down at the computer. "I went for a run a little bit ago."

"Well, I'm glad I caught you at a good time. I really miss you, you know."

"I miss you too. I miss getting to see that beautiful face in person."

"You're sweet. So, how was your run?"

"Unusual, I guess you could say."

"How so?" Spencer asked, intrigued.

"Well, I ran in the park, like I usually do, but this time, I ran into Stephanie."

"Stephanie? Have you two spoken lately?" Spencer asked.

"Not at all. I mean not since I was in the hospital when you were here. Stephanie said that after she talked to you, she thought it'd be best to leave me alone." Emily said nonchalantly. "Did you really tell her to back off?"

"Well, yeah. I did." Spencer said matter of factly. "I was just trying to get through to her that you're with me now and I'm not just gonna roll over and let her take you from me."

"Uh, do I have say in this?" Emily asked. "Stephanie's not taking me away from anyone. I don't want to be with her. I want to be with you. I am with you."

"That came out wrong. I'm sorry. I just love you a lot and I know that you still care about Bryce and he obviously loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that you have this super strong connection with him."

"I do care about Bryce. But that doesn't automatically mean that I still have feelings for Stephanie because I don't. Please try to understand that."

"I'm sorry, Em. I know you don't want to be with Stephanie. It's just that you were so close to Bryce and Stephanie hurt you so badly that I don't want to see her have the opportunity to use Bryce to hurt you again."

"Spence. I really do appreciate you sticking up for me, that's a lot more than I could ever say for Stephanie. You cared enough about me to stand up to your parents and to fight to keep me in your life. That means a lot and I think it says a lot about us as a couple."

"So do I." Spencer agreed.

"Don't worry so much. Everything will be better in a couple of months when I come home."

"I know. You just can't come home soon enough."

* * *

A few weeks later.

"Hey, Spence. Are you coming to the mall with us after school?" Hanna asked.

"What are you going to the mall for?"

"We're picking out our dresses for the Valentine's Day Dance. It's next week, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot. You guys go ahead. I'm not going to the dance anyway..."

"What do you mean you're not going?" Aria asked. "You have to come with us."

"Yeah." Hanna said. "You're the one who planned everything and got your country club to let us have the dance there. You're even the head of the decorating committee."

"I know, but when I agreed to organize the dance months ago, I wasn't expecting to be dateless..."

"Who cares if you don't have a date?" Hanna said. "It's not like you'll be the only one. Ali doesn't have one."

"Yeah, but she will. She's just playing hard to get. A bunch of guys have already asked her."

"You can go stag. We've all done it at some point." Aria said reassuringly. "It's not your fault Emily has to be away. That doesn't mean that you can't still have a good time."

"Yeah. You'll get dressed up, go to dinner and hang out with us, like always. We'll all have fun together." Hanna said.

"Thanks for wanting to include me, but it's okay. I don't want to intrude. I'll just hang out at home. Hopefully, Em and I can have a Skype date or something."

"I really hope you'll change your mind, Spence." Aria said. "It won't be the same without you."

"I just don't know if I wanna be around a bunch of couples while Emily's so far away..." Spencer sighed. "I'll see you guys later." She then walked off down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Poor Spence." Aria said. "Her first Valentine's Day with Emily and they won't be together."

"I know. That sucks. We have to figure out some way to cheer her up."

* * *

A few days later.

Spencer walked out of her bedroom and went downstairs into the kitchen, where she saw her sister sitting at the island with some papers spread out in front of her.

"Hey, Spence." Melissa said, looking up from her papers.

"Hey. What are you doing?"

"Just getting some stuff together for the wedding. I need to make some calls to make sure everything's in order."

"Are you getting nervous?" Spencer asked.

"A little, but it's a good nervous. Just the normal pre-wedding jitters, I think...so are you going to the Valentine's dance on Friday night?"

Spencer sighed heavily as a frown spread across her face. As hard as she tried to forget about having to spend Valentine's Day alone, Spencer was constantly being reminded. Between her friends urging her to attend the dance and seeing signs for Valentine's specials all around town at local businesses, Spencer knew she wouldn't have an easy time keeping the holiday from her mind.

"I'm not going to the dance. I don't have a date, so what's the point? Why are you asking anyway?" Spencer was slightly short with her sister.

"Just wondering. I'm going to be one of the chaperones."

"You are?" Spencer asked, sounding surprised as she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

"Yeah. The school was looking for volunteers and since I'm in Rosewood High's alumni organization, I thought I'd help out. You really should go to the dance, I know you miss Emily, but it won't do you any good to mope around alone all night while your friends have fun. Besides, if I'm going to be there, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to."

"I'll think about it. But, I'm not making any promises." Spencer said as she began to walk out of the room.

When she got back upstairs, Spencer picked up her cell phone and called Emily. After a few rings, Emily picked up.

"Hey, Spence." Emily said, happily. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm good. Just got home from work."

"How was your day?"

"It was fine, I'm just a little sore. I had to do a lot of lifting today."

"Aw, you poor thing. Take it easy and try to relax a little bit."

"I will."

"So...I wanted to ask you, you know how Valentine's Day is this weekend?"

"Wait, really?" Emily asked sounding surprised.

"Um, yes. You forgot about Valentine's Day?" Spencer's tone was now slightly annoyed.

"Relax. I'm just kidding." Emily laughed. "How could I forget?"

"Oh okay, good." Spencer laughed too. "But, anyway, do you wanna have a Skype date on Friday night? All of my friends are going to the school's Valentine's Day dance, so I was hoping we could Skype and have dinner together."

"That sounds great and I'd love to, but I won't be home until late that night. I have to go to a meeting with my bosses and I don't know how long it'll last."

"Really?"

Emily could hear the disappointment in Spencer's voice.

"That sucks."

"I know. I'm sorry…I'd ditch the meeting if I could, but I can't…"

"It's okay…well, since you're busy, I'll probably end up just going to the dance then. Melissa volunteered to chaperone so maybe I can help her serve punch or something. Besides that, Hanna's been bugging me to go. These last couple of days she's been pretty relentless. I don't think she'll stop until I agree to go."

"You should definitely go. I'm just really sorry, I'm not home to take you. Just try to have fun. You'll be with your friends, so I'm sure you will."

"Yeah, if you don't mind third wheel status..." Spencer laid down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Or I guess in my case it'll be more like seventh wheel..."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. You get to hang out with your best friends and there'll be plenty of food, right?"

"Of course. The dance is at my country club and there's a pre-dance dinner."

"That sounds great. The food should be reason enough to go." Emily laughed.

"Well, the country club does have pretty good food..."

"Good. Get yourself all dressed up, go to the dance, eat tons of free food and have fun. You can think about me stuck in a totally boring meeting while you're out having fun. Just make sure you send me a picture so I can at least see how beautiful you look."

"That, I can do." Spencer said, a small half-smile creeping across her face.

* * *

It was around seven o' clock on Friday evening when Aria, Noel, Hanna and Caleb arrived at the Hastings' house.

Hanna carefully stepped out of Noel's Range Rover, walked up the porch stairs to the front door and rang the bell. After a few minutes, Spencer opened the door wearing a short black, form-hugging dress. As well as a pair of shiny black Manolo heels and the diamond pendant that Emily had given her on New Year's Eve.

"Wow, you look great." Hanna said, looking Spencer up and down.

"You sure the dress isn't too much?" Spencer asked. "I borrowed it from Melissa, so it's a little tighter on me than I'm used to."

"It looks amazing."

"Thanks. I just have to grab my coat."

"Hold on a second." Hanna stepped forward and adjusted the neckline of Spencer's dress to reveal more of her cleavage. "Just one little adjustment…"

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked.

"This dress already shows off your amazing legs, you may as well show off the rest of the goods too."

"I don't know if I wanna draw a lot of attention to my chest. It just makes me a little uncomfortable. You know I'm not exactly gifted when it comes to boobs."

"Please. There's no such thing as small boobs, only unflattering garments. And you picked a really good bra by the way." Hanna said as she finished adjusting the dress. "There. Now it's perfect. No sense in wasting a great dress by wearing it like my grandmother."

Spencer laughed and rolled her eyes before grabbing her coat from the hook next to the door.

"So, I guess I'll just follow you guys to the dance." Spencer said.

"You can ride with us. There's plenty of room. Alison didn't ride with us. She said her date was picking her up and she'd meet us there."

"Oh, okay."

"Come on." Hanna grabbed Spencer by the wrist and pulled her toward the car.

* * *

When they arrived at the country club, everyone got out of Noel's Range Rover and headed inside. They checked their coats and walked down the hallway to the dining room. The room was very elaborately adorned with white, red and pink heart decorations all over. Some of the kids who had already arrived were seated at tables and others chatted with each other near the dance floor area, while country club employees hustled and bustled about, offering drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

"Why don't you guys go find out where we're sitting." Hanna said, looking at Caleb. "We're gonna go to the bathroom to freshen up."

On their way to the restroom, Hanna, Aria and Spencer noticed Melissa standing near a table that was filled with numerous dessert items.

"Hey, you guys all look great." Melissa said.

"Thanks." Hanna and Aria said in unison.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this dress." Spencer said, looking at her sister.

"You're welcome. It's looks even better on you than I thought it would." Melissa smiled. "So, Spence would you mind giving me a hand for a just a minute? The other volunteers haven't made it here yet."

"Um, sure. What did you need?"

"Could you help me with the rest of these desserts?" Melissa said, addressing Spencer but her eyes wandered over to Hanna and Aria. "There are still a few plates left in the kitchen."

"Yeah. No problem."

As Spencer and Melissa turned to head toward the kitchen, Melissa looked back at Hanna and nodded her head toward the set of French doors to their right. Melissa and Spencer walked into the kitchen. They both began loading more desserts onto a tray. When it was full, Melissa picked up the tray.

"Do you want me to carry that?" Spencer asked.

"No, I got it. Just grab some of those forks over there."

"Okay." Spencer nodded.

Melissa pushed the kitchen door open and stepped out with Spencer following closely behind. As she walked out the door, Spencer placed the silverware she had been holding on the table. She then looked up and she couldn't believe her eyes. Standing there in front of her was Emily with a smile on her face in a perfectly tailored black suit, holding a clear plastic box containing a beautiful red rose corsage. Standing on either side of Emily, were Aria and Hanna, smiling brightly, their arms linked around the architect's elbows. Spencer blinked a few times, at first, thinking she was imagining things.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Spence." Aria and Hanna said, simultaneously

Spencer was pulled from her thoughts upon hearing Aria and Hanna's voices.

"I hope you like your surprise." Hanna said. "Because I'm sure this is one gift you'll have a lot of fun unwrapping later tonight, if you know what I mean." Hanna chuckled.

Emily blushed, but her eyes never left Spencer's. Spencer was still too stunned to react or even comprehend Hanna's joke.

"Oh my God." Spencer's mouth dropped open as she placed her hand on her chest. "I can't believe...how did you...I..." Spencer stumbled on her words.

"I better take note of this…" Emily said. "It's not often that I leave a girl speechless, especially you, usually it's the other way around."

Emily's eyes wandered from Spencer's face, down her body and back up again.

"You look so beautiful tonight." Emily stepped forward and opened the corsage box.

Spencer was completely at a loss for any words at all as she stood, still frozen in place while Emily slipped the corsage onto her wrist.

Emily then placed her free hand on Spencer's cheek, leaned down and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's. Spencer closed her eyes, as she kissed Emily back without hesitation. When they separated, Emily stared into Spencer's eyes for a moment as she tucked a lock of Spencer's wavy brunette hair behind her ear.

"We told you you'd have fun tonight." Aria smiled.

"I can't believe you're actually here." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily, hugging her tight. "How long can you stay?" Spencer asked looking up at Emily with her best sad puppy face.

"I'll be in town until Sunday night."

"You mean you'll be here for Valentine's Day?" Spencer asked, excitedly.

"Yep. I'm taking the midnight flight back to Texas Sunday night."

"This is amazing. I get you tonight and all day tomorrow and Sunday. This is the best Valentine's Day present I could have ever asked for. Thank you so much for coming."

"Thank your friends. They invited me. This was all their idea. And your sister was nice enough to come pick me up at the airport."

"Thank you all. So much." Spencer looked to her friends, then to her sister.

"You're welcome." Melissa said. "I'm glad everything worked out. You guys should head over to your table. They're going to be serving dinner here shortly."

"Great, I'm starving." Emily said. "The bag of peanuts I got on the plane was the only thing I've eaten all day."

"Let's go get you some hors d'oeuvres." Spencer took Emily by the hand.

"Spence." Emily said. "Before we do anything, I know Valentine's Day isn't officially until Sunday, but I wanna give you your gift now."

Emily reached into the inside pocket of her blazer and pulled out a long rectangular black velvet box and handed it to Spencer. Spencer opened the box to reveal a gorgeous white gold, diamond tennis bracelet. Spencer's eyes lit up as she ran her fingers over the perfectly clear, glittering diamonds.

"Em. It's beautiful."

"You like it?"

"I absolutely love it."

"Here, let me put it on for you." Emily took the bracelet from the box, circled it around Spencer's wrist and fastened the clasp.

"Thank you so much." Spencer lifted her wrist and watched the diamonds sparkle as they reflected the light.

"You're welcome." Emily took the empty box from Spencer and slipped it back into her jacket pocket.

Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and reached up to kiss her girlfriend.

"God, they're so adorable." Hanna said. "If this isn't the perfect romance, I don't know what is."

 


	72. Chapter 72

Later that evening.

"I'm gonna go get some punch." Emily said, looking at Spencer. "Can I get you some or anything else?"

"Punch sounds great." Spencer reached over and ran her hand down Emily's arm.

"I'll be right back." Emily smiled and stood up from the table.

Emily made her way over the refreshment table where Melissa was standing.

"Hey, Emily. Are you having a good time?" Melissa asked.

"Definitely. Thank you so much for picking me up at the airport and running me over to my apartment to change clothes. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Melissa smiled. "It was no problem at all. So, can I get you something?"

"I just came to get Spencer and I some punch."

"Great." Melissa picked up two cups and filled them. "I know the punch is good, I made it myself." Melissa handed the cups to Emily.

"Awesome. If you made it, I'm sure it's perfect."

"Hold on a second." Melissa said. She reached over, took the collar of Emily's shirt into her hands and adjusted it. "There. Your collar was sticking up a little bit." She said as she smoothed out the lapels of Emily's blazer as well.

"Oh, thanks, Melissa."

"You know, I'm so used to seeing you in ripped up jeans and sweat-stained t shirts. And not that that doesn't have its own certain appeal and charm, but I like this you. It's definitely a nice change. You clean up really well and Spencer should be proud to have you as a date, I know I would be. You guys look so adorable together. No wonder she's so head over heels for you."

"Thank you." Emily blushed a little. "And I know I've said it before, but thanks for being supportive of Spencer and I since you found out we were seeing each other and especially for sticking up for us when your dad found out. I know there had to be a lot of tension in your house with your dad having a not so great opinion of me."

"Well Emily...no matter what my dad thought he knew about you, I knew better. I've seen the way Spencer looks at you and I know how you treat her." Melissa placed her hand on Emily's shoulder. "It's not often that a girl finds someone as sweet, thoughtful, kind and respectful as you are. I've been fortunate enough to find all of those things in my own relationship and now that Spencer has too, I'd never discourage my baby sister from being with someone who treats her with nothing but kindness and respect."

"Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way."

"How could I not? Now, you should get back to Spencer. You don't want to keep her waiting, do you?"

"Definitely not." Emily shook her head. "And I can't wait to try the punch."

"Feel free to come back for more."

Emily then made her way across the room back to the table and sat down next to Spencer.

"Here you go." Emily handed one of the cups to her girlfriend.

"Thanks."

Spencer took a sip from her cup and set it down on the table. Emily reached over and took Spencer's hand in her own and stared into her girlfriend's eyes.

"I'm so glad you could come tonight. You must be exhausted working all day then flying in all the way from Texas."

"I'm fine. I'd stay up all night if it meant I'd get to be with you."

"You're so sweet." Spencer leaned her forehead against Emily's. "Seriously though, I'm having the best time."

"So am I."

Spencer and Emily were both pulled from their thoughts when they heard the DJ's voice over the speakers.

"This next song goes out to Spencer Hastings compliments of your girlfriend, Emily." The DJ said. "Enjoy ladies."

Spencer's ears perked up upon hearing her name.

"You requested a song for me?" Spencer asked.

"Uh huh. You sound surprised." Emily stood up. "I don't know if you'll know it or not, it's kind of an older song, but I hope you like it."

"Dance with me?" Emily asked, reaching her hand down to Spencer as the opening notes to the song 'I Knew I Loved You' by Savage Garden began to fill the room.

"Of course I'll dance with you." Spencer happily took Emily's hand and stood up. "Do you even have to ask?"

Emily smiled as she led Spencer out onto the dance floor. Spencer draped her arms over Emily's broad shoulders as the architect placed her hands around Spencer's waist and pulled her close. Spencer slowly swayed back and forth, following Emily's lead as the first verse of the song began.

_Maybe it's intuition_

_But some things you just don't question_

_Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant_

_And there it goes,_

_I think I found my best friend_

_I know that it might sound_

_More than a little crazy_

_But I believe_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

"You know, I picked this particular song for a reason." Emily said softly into Spencer's ear. "It pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about you."

Spencer glanced up at Emily and smiled. She then laid her head against Emily's chest and closed her eyes, savoring the moment as the second verse of the song played.

_There's just no rhyme or reason_

_Only the sense of completion_

_And in your eyes, I see_

_The missing pieces I'm searching for_

_I think I've found my way home_

_I know that it might sound_

_More than a little crazy_

_But I believe_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

_A thousand angels dance around you_

_I am complete now that I found you_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

Spencer pulled back and stared up into Emily's soft, dark eyes.

"I love you." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips against Spencer's.

Spencer smiled into the kiss as she buried one of her hands into Emily's thick, silky raven hair.

"I love you too." Spencer said when the kiss was eventually broken.

Spencer held Emily close and nestled her face against the architect's chest for the last chorus of the song.

* * *

Later on that evening, Emily had been standing near the refreshment table, talking to both Caleb and Noel while Aria, Hanna and Spencer disappeared to the restroom.

"Man, the three of us could be sitting right behind the glass at the Flyers game watching two guys kick the crap out of each other right now, but instead we're stuck at this stupid dance." Noel complained.

"It's not that bad." Caleb said, raising his cup of punch to his lips. "Could be worse."

"I just don't get why girls love this stuff so much." Noel rolled his eyes. "It's so lame and we're the ones who have to get dressed up and suffer through all of this boring shit."

"But, if it makes her happy isn't it worth it?" Emily asked. "I'm sure Aria does stuff for you that she doesn't necessarily love doing."

"Yeah, like sucking your dick." Caleb laughed.

"Exactly like that." Emily laughed too.

"She doesn't mind it." Noel retorted.

"But, I'd be willing to bet it's not her favorite thing either." Emily said. "She does it because you like it."

"All right, hot shot, what about you? You fucked Spencer yet?" Noel asked. "You've had to. I mean you guys have been together for months and you've been away a lot. You can only watch porn and jerk it for so long before you want the real thing."

Emily just rolled her eyes.

"What? I'm not wrong." Noel said.

"Spencer and I have slept together, but..."

"How's the brainiac in bed?" Noel cut Emily off. "She's so bossy with everything, I bet she's annoying and constantly giving you a play by play of everything she wants you to do. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she handed you an itemized list before you even take off your clothes."

"She's not annoying or bossy at all. Sex is great with Spencer." Emily said defensively. "What I was going to say before is that Spencer and I have slept together, but I've never 'fucked her,' as you so nicely put it." Emily made air quotes with one of her hands. "I respect her way too much to call it that. Spencer's a lot different from the other girls I've been with. Everything just feels different with her. It's not just sex with her."

"I know exactly what you mean." Caleb said. "That's how I feel about Hanna."

"Okay, sorry, bro." Noel said to Emily. "My bad. I didn't mean to piss you off. I was just kidding. And I respect Aria by the way. I care about her...a lot."

"I never said you didn't." Emily's tone was completely non-confrontational. "But, I really hope that you do respect and care about her. Aria's a nice girl. She deserves a good guy."

"You know, now I think I know why Spencer's so crazy over Emily and Aria's always pissed at you." Caleb said. "She's a way better girlfriend than you are a boyfriend."

"I'm not a bad boyfriend. I take her out and I tell Aria she's sexy all the time. Just tonight I told her that her dress made her boobs look huge..."

"That's flattering." Emily said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, don't pretend like you don't like boobs." Noel said. "Admit it or not, but I guarantee you look at them and think about them just as much as we do."

"I do like them. I'm not pretending that I don't." Emily said. "But, there's a lot more to girls than boobs."

"I know that. But I don't get it. Why do they wear push up bras and shirts that show their boobs if they don't want us to look or say stuff?" Noel shrugged. "If we don't notice, we're jerks, but when we say something we're pigs. We can't win."

"Every girl wants to feel sexy, but there's a right and wrong way to compliment her appearance."

"So what am I supposed to do if I can't tell Aria she's hot?"

"You can tell her she's hot and you definitely should, but tell her she's beautiful once in a while. She needs to know that you're attracted to more than just her body. It'll go a long way."

"Maybe..." Noel said.

"Come on, dude, she likes the exact same thing we like..." Caleb said. "She's a girl and she likes girls. You're an idiot if you think for a minute that you know more about women than she does."

"Okay, fine. Enlighten me then..." Noel said. "What do women really want? What do you do to get Spencer's panties wet?"

"Uh, well...I don't say stuff like that to her. If you want girls to stop calling you a pig, you have to stop acting like one. Try being more sensitive. Be more gentlemanly and chivalrous toward her."

"Does that stuff actually work?" Noel said, disbelievingly. "Don't girls nowadays think it's sexist and anti-feminist? Maybe it's different for you since you and Spencer are both girls, but Aria's all about being independent and stuff."

"Dude, have you ever actually talked to my girl?" Emily said. "Spencer's about the most stubborn, independent woman I've ever met, but she still likes and appreciates a nice gesture every now and then. She lets me do stuff for her. But honestly a little sensitivity and chivalry will do wonders for your relationship. Aria will be all over you."

"I guess it's worth a shot..." Noel shrugged.

"How about PDA?" Caleb said. "You have any advice for how I can get Hanna to tone it down just a little bit? I love her, I just don't feel like we need to constantly put it on display for the world to see."

"I hear ya." Emily agreed. "I'm not usually really big on PDA either. I don't like having someone hang all over me all the time."

"You think so too?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah. It's kinda embarrassing and awkward."

"Exactly. I don't want people staring at us. So what do I do..." Caleb asked. "I mean, I don't mind the hand holding or whatever. I just don't wanna make out in public and stuff. I don't want Hanna to think that I'm not interested in her or something..."

"Just talk to Hanna. Be honest and tell her that a lot of PDA makes you uncomfortable. That's always worked for me. She's reasonable. I'm sure she'll understand."

"So...can I ask you a sex question?" Noel said bluntly, glancing over at Emily.

"Depends on the question." Emily raised her eyebrows. "Think before you open your mouth, it better not be anything offensive to Spencer or..."

"It's not about your sex life. I just wanna know in general, when you're going down on a girl, what can you do to make it better? I haven't really done it that many times. How can you really, you know, like blow her away?"

"Look at you, concerned about how she feels, you're learning already." Emily laughed.

"I guess you can be taught after all." Caleb punched Noel in the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. So are you gonna give me some pointers or what?"

"Well...I'd avoid doing anything you saw in a porno, first of all. But, I guess the best advice I can give is to tell you not to half-ass it. You've gotta give her all or nothing. Take your time, foreplay's important. I know there are times when you just wanna get down to business, I get that way too sometimes, but you have to put yourself aside and focus on her, you know? Make sure she's completely comfortable. Just start out slow and tease her a little bit. Build up her anticipation until she's practically begging you for it, then you know she's ready."

"And..." Noel urged Emily to continue. "What else?"

"Um…don't be afraid to use your fingers and tongue at the same time. That'll only make it better. You just have to really pay attention to how her body responds to you, when you're doing something she likes, she'll let you know. The harder she pulls your hair and pushes your head down the better. And if you're lucky enough to have her give you a heads up when she's about to come, whatever you're doing right then, for her sake, keep doing it."

"So how do I know when to stop?" Noel said.

"Usually her breathing will start to slow, she'll stop moving around so much and if her hands are in your hair, she'll probably let go. But, if you're not sure, just keep going until she asks you to stop. It's way better for her to have to tell you to stop when she's done than for you to stop too soon."

"So…uh…how long should it usually take?" Caleb asked.

"It's always different for everyone and every situation. You just have to be patient, don't get discouraged when she doesn't come right away because she won't, no matter how good you are. It takes time. If she senses that you're frustrated and tense, that'll put a lot of pressure on her and she'll probably end up faking it. If she can't relax and feels like you aren't enjoying it, there's no way you'll ever be able to get her off."

"How do you really know if she's faking?" Caleb asked.

"If her moans sound fake, they probably are. When she's really in the moment, she can't help it. She won't be paying attention to what she's doing or saying, but if it sounds rehearsed, that's definitely not a good sign."

"Hanna's usually pretty loud, do you think she's faking?"

"Loud doesn't necessarily mean fake. Loud can be good, but if it sounds like porn star-ish, then it probably isn't real."

"Has a girl ever faked it with you?" Noel asked.

"Oh, I'm sure at one point or another it's probably happened. You can't win 'em all. There have been a few times when I've suspected, but I never called anyone out on it or anything. It's a double-edged sword though. On one hand, I'd want to know if she wasn't getting there so I could try something else, but on the other hand, that basically kills your confidence, so I'd almost rather not know."

"Man, girls are so complicated." Caleb said. "It's easy to tell when a guy's done, why can't girls be that easy too?"

"So, there's no fool-proof, sure-fire way to tell that she's getting off for real?" Noel asked, genuinely curious.

"It's hard to be one hundred percent certain, but there are ways to guess..."

"Like what?" Noel said.

"Well...like whether you're inside her or you're going down on her and you have your fingers inside, you should be able to feel it when she comes. She'll start to tighten up, then you'll usually feel her contract a bunch of times, pretty fast. That's probably the best way to tell."

"So...it's cool that you're gay and all, but don't you ever get tired of only being able to do like two things in bed?" Noel asked. "I mean don't get me wrong, I like hand jobs and blow jobs are awesome, but the other stuff is great too."

"There are plenty of things two girls can do together, trust me. Pretty much anything a straight couple can do, a lesbian couple can do."

"But, it's not the same without the, you know, right equipment..." Noel said.

"I can buy the equipment." Emily said, matter-of-factly. "And in just about any color, shape or size that a girl could ever want." Emily reached behind her and picked up a cookie from the table. "We've got practically unlimited possibilities, while you're stuck with just the one option." She broke the cookie in her hand and placed half of it into her mouth. "Oh and by the way, I'll never have to worry about whether or not I can get it up or keep it up, so you tell me who's got the better deal."

"Burn." Caleb laughed. "You just got owned, man."

"Touché, Fields. I like how you think. And thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to try them out."

Noel held his fist out, prompting a fist-bump from Emily.

"Tips for what?" Aria asked, approaching her boyfriend with Spencer and Hanna at her sides.

"Just some tips for my fantasy hockey roster." Noel said.

"Yeah and with that advice, you're totally gonna kill it this weekend." Caleb said.

"Well quit talking boring sports stuff for five minutes and dance with us." Hanna said, grabbing Caleb's hand.

"Come on. You too." Spencer grabbed Emily's hand. "I love this song."

"Can I finish my cookie first?" Emily asked.

"Just bring it with you." Spencer said, dragging Emily toward the dance floor as the architect stuffed the last of her cookie into her mouth.

"So, um, Aria..." Noel said as they made their way onto the dance floor. "You look amazing tonight. Like really beautiful..."

"Aw. Thanks, Noel. That's sweet." Aria smiled brightly as she slipped her arms over Noel's shoulders.

Before placing his hands on Aria's hips, Noel caught Emily's eye and gave her a thumbs up behind Aria's back.

Emily nodded and smiled as Spencer slid her hands behind the architect's neck.

"Spence?" Emily said, placing her hands on her girlfriend's hips.

"Yeah?" Spencer asked, staring up into Emily's eyes.

"After this, would you wanna come back to my place? You can stay over, I mean if you want to..."

"Looking to get laid tonight, huh?" Spencer laughed. "It's been a long month..."

"Oh, no, I just...I was only...I didn't mean..." Emily stumbled over her words.

"Emily, sweetie. Relax. I was kidding. Of course I wanna go back to your place. I wanna show you just how much I've missed you." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily. "By the way, you're pretty cute when you're all nervous and flustered."

* * *

After the dance, Emily and Spencer eventually found themselves in the bedroom of Emily's apartment. Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head and kissed her passionately. Emily slowly deepened the kiss and slipped her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth. Spencer's hands slid down over Emily's shoulders, she gripped the lapels of the architect's blazer in her fists as Emily's tongue worked against her own. When Spencer eventually released her grip on the jacket, Emily shrugged it off and let it slip down to the floor. Spencer then began aggressively kissing Emily's neck, her hands wandering to the bottom of the architect's shirt. Spencer yanked Emily's shirt upward, freeing it from its position, perfectly tucked into her girlfriend's pants. Spencer slid her hands upward; she groped Emily's breasts through her shirt as her lips found their way back to her girlfriend's. After a few moments, Spencer began undoing the buttons on Emily's shirt. When she reached the last button, Spencer glanced downward; her eyes wandering from Emily's bra to her bare stomach and back up again. Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and backed her over toward the bed, when they reached the side of the bed, Spencer kissed Emily, placed her hands on the architect's shoulders and lowered her down into a seated position. Emily exhaled sharply and placed her hands on top of her own thighs as she watched her girlfriend unzip and slowly remove her own dress. Emily swallowed hard and sunk her teeth into her bottom lip as Spencer stood in front of her in nothing more than her matching bra and panty set and pristinely polished black heels.

"Holy, shit." Emily breathed out. She ran a hand through her hair as her eyes roamed all over Spencer's body, from the creamy white flesh of her perky breasts, to her tiny lace panties and down her long, perfectly toned flawless legs.

Spencer slowly moved closer to her girlfriend, she used her leg to spread Emily's knees apart and stepped in between them. Spencer slowly ran her hands through Emily's hair and stared down at the architect. Emily glanced up and locked eyes with Spencer for a moment, she then placed her hands on Spencer's hips and pressed her lips to the brunette's tight, flat stomach. Spencer whimpered softly as she felt Emily place a series of soft kisses all over her abdomen. Spencer then wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and sat down across the architect's thighs. Emily placed her hands around Spencer's waist as their lips crashed together. Spencer moaned into the kiss as Emily's tongue quickly found hers once again.

"Take your shirt off." Spencer breathed into the kiss.

Without breaking the kiss, Emily slipped her arms out of her sleeves and discarded the shirt to the floor. Spencer slid her hands over Emily's muscular shoulders and toned biceps, shuddering a little when she felt Emily's hand slowly sliding up her thighs and in between her legs. Emily teased Spencer through her soaked panties, after a few moments, she moved Spencer's panties aside and gently pushed into her girlfriend's wetness.

"Em..." Spencer sighed, closing her eyes as she slowly rocked into Emily's fingers.

Spencer moaned into the kiss as she tangled her fingers into Emily's hair. Emily kept still as Spencer continued thrusting her hips into her hand. After a few minutes, Emily removed her fingers from Spencer's body. Emily stood up, effortlessly lifting Spencer from her lap and up into her arms. Spencer's body jerked a little and she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, feeling her weight shift in the architect's arms.

"I've got you." Emily said. "I won't let you fall. I promise. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I trust you." Spencer placed one of her hands on Emily's cheek.

Emily's eyes locked on her girlfriend's for a few seconds. Without breaking eye contact, Spencer kicked off her heels. Emily leaned in and placed a kiss to Spencer's lips before laying her down on the bed. Emily got onto the bed, straddling Spencer's slender waist. Before Emily had a chance to move, Spencer reached up and undid the architect's belt buckle. Spencer held the buckle in her hand and roughly yanked the belt through the loops of Emily's pants. Once the belt was detached from Emily's pants, Spencer tossed it off of the bed, where it landed with a thud when the buckle connected with the floor.

"Damn. Someone's a little aggressive tonight." Emily smirked.

"I'm sorry." Spencer stared up at her girlfriend.

"Don't be sorry. That wasn't a complaint. Not at all."

Spencer smiled as she slid her hands up Emily's thighs, stopping at the architect's lower abdomen, just above the waistband of her pants where she began slowly caressing her girlfriend's abdominal muscles. Emily sharply inhaled and exhaled, finding Spencer's hands on her body incredibly arousing.

"You're harder than usual." Spencer said, her hands groping around to the small of Emily's back, down her legs then back to her abdomen.

"What?" Emily cocked her head and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Your muscles are harder. They feel tighter than normal. I like it." Spencer smirked.

"Oh." A half-smile crept across Emily's lips. "Yeah?"

"Hell yeah. God, what ever work out you're doing, keep it up." Spencer punctuated her sentence with a firm, two-handed squeeze to her girlfriend's backside.

Emily felt herself quickly become even more aroused by Spencer's touch. Not wanting to wait any longer, Emily reached down, unbuttoned and unzipped her pants and pushed them downward. Emily leaned down and captured Spencer's lips in another heated, passion-filled kiss as she wiggled the rest of the way out of her pants and kicked them off. As they kissed, Emily reached one hand underneath Spencer's body and easily unhooked her bra.

"You seriously have to teach me that trick." Spencer mumbled against Emily's lips.

"What trick?" Emily broke the kiss and watched as Spencer pulled her bra off of her body and dropped it to the floor.

"How to unhook a bra with one hand." Spencer said. "I can't do it."

"It's easy. It just takes practice. When I was in high school I used to practice with my own bras and big stuffed animals." Emily laughed.

"Oh my God. Shut up." Spencer laughed disbelievingly as she pushed Emily's shoulder. "You're kidding..."

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" Emily leaned back until she was kneeling above Spencer, she reached one hand behind her back and unhooked her own bra in only a matter of a few seconds. "Just don't wear those damn hook in the front ones. I can't do those."

Spencer laughed as she pulled Emily down for a kiss. Emily slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth as she began rocking her hips into Spencer's. Spencer sighed into the kiss and reached for Emily's underwear. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of the architect's underwear and pulled them down.

"I'm sorry, I was pressed for time, I didn't have a chance to landscape as well as I normally do." Emily said, feeling self-conscious as she finished removing her own underwear.

Spencer's gaze wandered downward, settling between her girlfriend's legs.

"Don't worry." Spencer said, reassuringly. "You're perfect."

Emily smiled and leaned down to kiss Spencer again. After a few moments, Emily slowly began kissing all over Spencer's neck and chest. She flicked her tongue over Spencer's collarbone as her hand slipped downward and grasped the hem of Spencer's tiny lace panties. She slowly slid Spencer's underwear down her legs and off her body.

"Are your panties always this sexy when you're not expecting me?" Emily asked, Spencer's underwear swinging back and forth from her index finger.

"No. They just came with the bra and even though I didn't expect to see you, I just still kinda wanted to feel sexy tonight."

"You are." Emily said, tossing Spencer's panties over her shoulder. "Tonight and every single other day, without even trying, that's what amazes me the most."

"Aw, Em." Spencer smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emily pressed her lips to Spencer's.

Spencer's hands found Emily's hair as the architect gently took her bottom lip between her teeth. Spencer moaned into the kiss before slipping her tongue into Emily's mouth. Emily slowly snaked her hand down the side of Spencer's body and over her thigh to her center. Emily used her fingers to tease Spencer's entrance before gently slipping inside her body.

"Mmm..." Spencer sighed, gripping a fistful of Emily's hair in her hand.

Emily slowly but steadily began thrusting her index and middle fingers in and out of Spencer's tightness. As Emily continued her pace, Spencer's hands left her hair, sliding over her shoulders and down her back. Emily trailed a line of kisses down Spencer's neck and across her throat.

"Em..." Spencer closed her eyes and squirmed on the bed underneath Emily as her fingernails dug into the architect's taut shoulders, leaving numerous crescent shaped marks in their wake.

Emily continued thrusting her fingers in and out at an even quicker pace, groaning at the sensation of Spencer's fingernails scratching up and down her back as well as the brunette's body squeezing her fingers and drawing her in deeper with each thrust.

"Mmm..." Spencer moaned, spreading her legs further apart as she felt Emily begin massaging her clit with her thumb.

Emily rubbed Spencer faster and harder, constantly heightening her arousal. Emily kissed her way down Spencer's chest and took one of the brunette's erect nipples into her mouth. Emily sucked on the hardened nub and took it between her teeth, lightly biting down. Once Emily was confident that Spencer was worked up enough, she pulled her fingers out and slowly kissed her way down Spencer's abdomen. Much to Spencer's surprise, Emily then got up, grabbed a pillow and knelt down at the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked, sitting up.

"Just trust me. Come here."

Spencer slid down toward the edge of the bed.

"Here. I don't want your neck to get sore." Emily handed Spencer the pillow, which the brunette placed behind her head.

Emily slipped her hands underneath Spencer's hips and slid her body a little further downward. The architect lifted Spencer's legs up and draped them over each of her shoulders, giving herself full access to her girlfriend's body. Emily leaned forward and slowly licked up Spencer's center, eliciting a loud growl from Spencer as she raised her hips off of the bed, bringing her center in closer contact with Emily's tongue. Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips, holding her still.

"God…Em..." Spencer moaned loudly as Emily's tongue brushed over her clit.

Emily steadily increased the speed and pressure she was using with her tongue as Spencer reached down and slipped her hands into Emily's hair.

"Faster..." Spencer breathed out as she gripped Emily's hair in tight fists.

Emily happily obliged and increased her pace. The harder Spencer tugged at her hair, the faster Emily's tongue worked.

"Fuck, Em...right there..." Spencer panted, her breathing continually increasing with each quick, skillful stroke of Emily's tongue.

Emily brought her hand down from its position on Spencer's hip, feeling that Spencer wouldn't need much more, Emily swiftly entered her girlfriend with two fingers and began thrusting in and out at a hurried pace, her tongue never slowing down in the process. Emily pumped her fingers harder as Spencer's breaths became shallower and her moans louder. Spencer squeezed her eyes shut as an intense tightening sensation began building deep within the pit of her stomach.

"God..." Spencer tugged hard at Emily's hair as she felt herself nearing her peak.

Emily flicked her tongue repeatedly against Spencer's clit and stopped thrusting her fingers only to curl her index finger against Spencer's G-spot. Spencer pushed Emily's head down, holding her in place. Emily took Spencer's clit into her mouth and began sucking while still working her finger against the brunette's G-spot. Spencer crossed her feet at the ankles behind Emily's head and spread her knees further apart.

"Fuck...Emily..." Spencer cried out, overwhelmed with pleasure as her orgasm finally rushed through her body, enveloping her from head to toe.

Emily quickly flicked her tongue against Spencer's clit as she felt her girlfriend contract rapidly around her fingers. Emily gradually slowed her pace with her tongue as Spencer began to come down from her high. Spencer opened her eyes and released the grip she held on Emily's hair. Her legs still raised up over Emily's shoulders, Emily removed her tongue and glanced up at Spencer making eye contact with the brunette as Spencer gently stroked her hair. A few seconds later, Emily lifted Spencer's legs off of her shoulders and gently laid them on the bed. Spencer slid up to the top of the bed as Emily stood up from the floor and laid down next to her. When Spencer had regained her composure and her breathing returned to normal, she rolled over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder as the brunette nestled her face into her chest.

"So...did you like that position?" Emily asked.

"Uh, yeah. Are you kidding? That was amazing."

"I told you to trust me. I'll never steer you wrong." Emily said before placing a kiss to Spencer's forehead.

"Hey, Em..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you so much for coming home this weekend."

"Believe me, Spence, there's not a single place in the world I'd rather be right now."

 

 


	73. Chapter 73

Early the next morning.

Emily was still fast asleep, her completely naked body pressed flush against Spencer's back. Being half awake, Spencer smiled to herself as she felt Emily's strong, protective arms tighten around her body. Spencer gently ran her fingers up and down Emily's bicep before placing her hand on top of the architect's and lacing their fingers together.

It was about twenty minutes later that Spencer slowly opened her eyes and glanced back at Emily, who was snoring contently. Feeling her girlfriend shift in her arms, Emily yawned and slowly opened her eyes, noticing Spencer looking at her.

"Morning." Emily said, her voice scratchy and thick with sleep.

"Good morning." Spencer rolled over to face her girlfriend.

"You sleep okay?" Emily asked, rolling over onto her back and stretching out.

"Of course. We spooned almost the whole night." Spencer laid her head on Emily's shoulder and pulled the blanket up to her neck before wrapping her arms around the architect.

"Are you warm enough?" Emily asked. "I can go turn up the heat."

"I'm fine." Spencer moved her hand to Emily's cheek and kissed her.

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Last night was so amazing." Spencer said as she buried her face into Emily's chest.

"It was, wasn't it?" Emily smirked a little.

"Uh huh. The dance was great, but after the dance...that was even better."

Emily smiled at her girlfriend and kissed her forehead.

"And I guess we must have been too tired to put clothes on." Spencer lifted the blanket a little, looking down at Emily's naked body as well as her own.

"Can't say I mind." Emily said.

"Neither do I."

"So...are you like hungry at all?" Emily asked.

"I could eat." Spencer said, gently running her fingernails over Emily's stomach.

"Good. I'm starving. Since I don't have any food here, I'll run to the coffee shop on the corner and grab us something."

"That sounds great. You want me to come with you?"

"You just stay right here. When I get back we can have breakfast in bed." Emily reached over the side of the bed, picked up the sports bra she had worn to work yesterday and slipped it on.

"And then we'll have the whole day to do anything you want." Emily picked up a towel from the floor and wrapped it around her lower half as she got out of bed.

Spencer propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Emily walked over to her dresser, took out a pair of underwear and slipped them on.

"Well..." Spencer said.

"Well what?" Emily dropped the towel she had been holding in front of her, grabbed a t shirt and walked back toward the bed.

"What if what I wanna do involves not getting out of bed today?" Spencer asked, in a husky, seductive tone.

"Uh...I...if...that's what you want..." Emily stuttered.

"After tomorrow, I'm probably not gonna get to see you again until you come home for real. Believe me, it's what I want." Spencer pulled on Emily's hand. Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"Now, you should really get some breakfast. You'll need the energy if you plan on keeping up with me."

"I can keep up. Don't you worry about me." Emily kissed Spencer again.

Emily then slipped on her t shirt and picked up the pair of jeans from the floor that she had worn to work yesterday and pulled them on.

"You have any preference of what you want for breakfast?" Emily asked.

"It doesn't matter. Just maybe something sweet and lots of coffee."

"You got it. I'll be back shortly."

* * *

When Emily returned, she walked back into the bedroom with two large cups of coffee and a small white box containing a few pastries. Emily stared at Spencer, who was sitting on the bed in only a gray t shirt that hung loosely from her body.

"Now this I could definitely get used to." Emily said, her eyes wandering up and down Spencer's long, toned legs. "You look so sexy in my clothes."

Emily set both coffees and the box she was holding down on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed, placed her hand behind Spencer's head and kissed her passionately. Emily slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth as her hands slid down her girlfriend's shoulders and back. Emily ran her hands over Spencer's bare thighs as she took the brunette's bottom lip between her teeth.

"Easy, tiger." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and broke the kiss. "We'll get there, but coffee first or else it'll get cold."

"I'm sorry." Emily smiled sheepishly. "I just missed you a lot."

"You were only gone for like twenty minutes."

"I know. I just mean in general, over these last few months since I've been away, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." Spencer leaned over and pecked Emily on the lips. "Oh and by the way, I've decided that today your bed is officially a pants-free zone. And you're breaking the rules."

"I can fix that." Emily stood up and slid her jeans off. "Better?"

"You know what? So I don't have to tell you in a minute, take your shirt off too." Spencer smirked. "You have great legs, but your arms are incredible."

Emily smiled, pulled her shirt up over her head and dropped it to the floor, leaving her in only her bra and underwear.

"I'm really glad all those years of swimming weren't in vain." Emily said, sitting back down on the bed.

"Not at all." Spencer wrapped her hands around Emily's upper arm and gave it a squeeze.

"So, is this how things are going to be between us from now on? You telling me what to do in bed?" Emily asked playfully.

"Does it bother you?" Spencer asked sincerely.

"Nope." Emily shook her head. "I think it's actually really hot. I love that you've gotten more confident. You were so shy and nervous the first night we slept together."

"I was really shy." Spencer nodded. "No one had ever seen me naked before."

"I understand that, but you're absolutely perfect." Emily took Spencer's hand in her own. "You never have to be shy with me. Ever."

"I know that now." Spencer placed her free hand on Emily's knee. "I just regret that I waited so long to sleep with you."

"Don't regret that. I don't. We slept together when it felt right. I'm actually glad that we didn't just jump into bed right away. I mean, I'm not saying that it wouldn't have been good if we did it sooner, but I think us taking the time to get to know each other more made it a lot better and I think that makes us a stronger couple."

"I love you, Em." Spencer smiled and moved her hand to Emily's chest.

"I love you too." Emily pressed her lips to Spencer's for a chaste kiss.

When the kiss was broken, Emily reached over to the nightstand and handed Spencer one of the cups of coffee.

"Oh and by the way, I know the sexual part of our relationship is still pretty new, but don't be afraid to tell me what you like or don't like or if there's something you wanna try…"

"Hm, are you secretly a little bit of a freak in the sheets or something?" Spencer smirked, taking a sip from her coffee cup.

"I wouldn't say I'm a freak, necessarily...but I like to think I'm pretty open minded in bed. I'll try practically anything once."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sure. Why not? How would you know whether you like something or not if you don't try it?"

"I'll keep that in mind." Spencer smiled as she raised her coffee cup to her lips again. "So, what did you get for breakfast?"

"I got these really cute heart-shaped scones." Emily picked up the box from the nightstand and opened it. "Look at how adorable they are and they're even still warm."

Spencer laughed.

"What's so funny?" Emily asked.

"You just don't really tend to use the words 'cute' or 'adorable' very often. But, it is totally both cute and adorable to hear you say it."

"Thanks." Emily laughed a little. "I know raspberry scones are your favorite, but the chocolate chip ones looked amazing, so I had to get both."

"You have such a sweet tooth." Spencer laughed, taking a raspberry pastry from the box.

"Oh, I have the sweet tooth? What about you? You're way worse than I am." Emily countered as she took a bite from her chocolate chip scone.

"I don't think so." Spencer said as she leaned over and took a bite of Emily's pastry.

"What ever you say, Spence." Emily chuckled as she reached up and used her thumb to wipe a small spot of melted chocolate from the corner of Spencer's mouth.

* * *

The next evening.

Emily arrived at the Hastings' house right on time to pick Spencer up for their date. Emily took the bouquet of red roses from the passenger seat and stepped out of her car. She walked up the stairs of the front porch and rang the doorbell. As she waited, Emily brushed a few snowflakes from the shoulders of her coat.

After a few moments, Veronica opened the door.

"Hi, Emily. Come on in."

"Thanks, Missus Hastings." Emily said as she followed Veronica inside.

"It's so nice to see you again, honey. How have you been?"

"I'm doing well. Working a lot. Keeping busy."

"That's good. Let me take your coat. Spencer's still getting ready. She should be down in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Emily set the bouquet of roses on the coffee table, undid the scarf around her neck and gave both her coat and scarf to Veronica.

"Why don't you sit down? I'll let Spencer know that you're here."

"Thank you."

As Emily sat down on the living room couch, Veronica disappeared upstairs. It was a few minutes later that Peter walked into the living room.

"Hello, Mister Hastings." Emily stood up.

"Hi, Emily. How are you doing?"

"Just fine, sir. And yourself?"

"I'm doing all right. Can I see you in my office, please?"

"Of course." Emily nodded nervously.

Emily swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and smoothed out the sleeves of her sweater as she followed Peter down the hall.

"Have a seat." Peter said as he walked around his desk and sat down.

"Emily, I know that you and I didn't exactly get off on the right foot in terms of our personal relationship. When I found out that you and Spencer were seeing each other, I was surprised to say the least, but I realize that I reacted poorly and unfairly."

"I completely understand why you reacted the way that you did. I felt terrible sneaking around, but I thought if you found out you'd fire me. And I want you to know that if it had been just me working l would have told you the truth, even if that meant being fired. Spencer is absolutely worth it, but I couldn't bring myself to do that to my crew." Emily said, staring directly into Peter's eyes. "Those guys have been there for me for any job any time I've ever needed them. They were counting on the income, I couldn't let my emotions interfere with their livelihood...so I guess all I can really do is tell you how sorry I am about the way things happened..."

"Don't apologize. You're clearly a loyal person. Refusing to sacrifice the well being of your employees is a very noble thing to do, in my opinion. Besides that, I should be the one apologizing. My stubbornness has not only strained my relationship with you, but also with my family, especially my daughter."

"For what it's worth, I just want to say that I don't have any hard feelings toward you at all and I never did. I know that you're not crazy about the age difference between Spencer and I, but I'm just asking for a chance to prove to you that I'm not a bad person and I really do care about Spencer. I wouldn't still be around if I didn't care."

"I think that's probably the truth. I was pretty tough on you and nothing has seemed to change."

"I won't give up. I haven't had the best luck with relationships, especially these past couple of years, but for some reason I was lucky enough to have met Spencer, she's given me so much to be grateful for and I would do anything for her."

"I'm glad to hear that. You know, I love both of my daughters very much, but Spencer is my youngest...my last little girl…" Peter sighed. "I sometimes forget that she's a young woman now, but no matter how old she gets she'll always be my little girl and the last thing I want is to see her get hurt."

"I understand and I swear I would never do anything to hurt her. I'd be a complete idiot to mess things up with Spencer. I know our relationship didn't start out in the most conventional way and I wish I could change that."

Emily then stood up, her eyes never leaving Peter.

"Mister Hastings...I realize it'll take time, I don't expect you to change your opinion over night, but I want you to know that I'm willing to do what ever it takes to gain your trust and approval."

"Emily..." Peter also stood up. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over these past couple of months…I think that we could both benefit from giving each other a second chance. What do you say? Do you think we can put the past behind us and start over?"

Peter locked eyes with Emily and extended his hand to the architect.

"I'd honestly love nothing more than to be able to start over." Emily smiled brightly as she gripped Peter's hand and gave it two firm shakes.

"Great. But...there is one more thing I need to clarify." Peter let go of Emily's hand. "Just because you're a woman, don't expect any special treatment when it comes to dating my daughter. If you screw up with Spencer, you answer to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I'd never expect it to be any other way."

"I'm glad we understand each other and I'm glad we had this talk, but we should head back to the living room, I'm sure Spencer will be ready to go any minute."

Emily waited for Peter to walk around the desk and exit the room.

"Where exactly are you taking her tonight?" Peter asked as Emily followed him down the hall. "It's supposed to snow."

"I saw the forecast. That's why we're staying in town. I have to catch a midnight flight back to Texas and I didn't want to go into the city and leave Spencer to have to drive home from Philly in the snow so we're just going to that Italian café across the street from the movie theater."

"If you're staying in town, that's a pretty good choice. It's one of the nicest places in Rosewood and Spencer loves it."

"Rightfully so. They make the best cappuccino I've ever had."

When they reached the living room, Peter motioned for Emily to sit down.

"So, how are things going in Texas?" Peter asked as he sat down, next to Emily.

"They're going well. We're right about on schedule so we should finish up right around the end of March or the very beginning of April."

"Good. I know my intentions for helping you get the job weren't the best, but you should know that you deserve the job and everything I wrote in your recommendation letter was true."

"Really?" Emily glanced over at Peter. "You wrote some really nice things…"

"Well, you're a fantastic architect and one hell of a worker."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

It was only a minute or two later that Spencer came downstairs with her mother. Emily turned and glanced over her shoulder, where saw Spencer on the stairs. She had on a tastefully short navy blue dress and her brunette hair hung in loose waves over her shoulders. Emily stood up, picked up the roses from the coffee table and walked over to Spencer.

"You look so beautiful." Emily smiled. "These are for you." She handed the brunette the bouquet of roses in her hand.

"Thank you. You're sweet." Spencer leaned in and wrapped her arms around Emily.

Spencer brought the roses up to her nose and deeply inhaled. "These smell so good." Spencer said as she exhaled.

"I'm glad you like them." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer's cheek.

"Emily, honey, can I get you something to drink or anything?" Veronica asked.

"Oh, no thank you, we should actually get going...I don't mean to rush, but our reservation is for twenty minutes from now."

"Mom, can you please put these in some water for me?" Spencer asked handing the roses to her mother.

"Of course, sweetheart."

"Thank you."

"Don't stay out too late." Peter said, looking at his daughter.

"I won't. We'll be back early. I don't want Em to miss her flight."

"Please drive carefully." Veronica said, looking at Emily.

"Yes, ma'am." Emily nodded. "Of course."

"I hope when you come home we'll have some time to all sit down and catch up." Veronica said. "I'd love for you to join us at the country club for Sunday brunch sometime."

"I'd like that. Thank you."

"Take care, sweetheart. We'll see you soon." Veronica placed her hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Have a safe trip home." Peter added.

"Thank you, sir. Goodnight Mister Hastings, Missus Hastings."

Emily and Spencer then walked over to the front door. Emily took Spencer's knee length pea coat from the hook and held it out, waiting for her girlfriend to slip her arms through. Once Spencer was ready, Emily took her own coat and scarf and put them on. Spencer and Emily then made their way out the door and to Emily's car.

* * *

"This has been the best Valentine's Day ever. Thanks again for coming home." Spencer placed her napkin on the table and took Emily's hand. "Fourteen hundred miles is a long way to fly home for a weekend and I know you have to work tomorrow…"

"It's our first Valentine's Day together, I couldn't let you be alone. That wouldn't be very romantic, now would it?"

"I wish you didn't have to leave tonight."

"Me too. But, look on the bright side, the next time I come back to Rosewood, I'll be home for good."

"I can't wait." Spencer smiled as she gently stroked Emily's hand with her thumb.

"Me either. You know, I'm sorry that I couldn't take you to Philly tonight. I know how much you love the city…"

"Em, it's fine. I love this place and I love you. It doesn't matter where we have dinner, as long as I get to be with you, I'm the happiest girl in the world."

Emily smiled, never taking her eyes off of her girlfriend.

"So...we've still got some time before I have to get you home. You wanna order a couple of cappuccinos and split a piece of tiramisu?"

"I'd love that. Sounds like the perfect end to a perfect Valentine's Day."

* * *

Later that night, when they arrived back at the Hastings' house, Emily got out of her car and walked around to the passenger side. She opened the door for Spencer and waited for her to step out.

"I didn't know it was supposed to snow this much." Spencer said.

"Yeah. Rosewood's supposed to get a few more inches by morning." Emily said as she took Spencer's hand and walked toward the house.

"Why don't you have your cab pick you up here so you don't have to drive all the way across town to your apartment? I'll drive your car over tomorrow after school."

"Sure. As long as your parents wouldn't mind me leaving my car here over night."

"It's okay. They won't mind at all." Spencer said as she and Emily walked up the porch stairs.

"Come inside with me and we'll call you a cab."

Emily and Spencer both brushed the snow from their coats and stepped inside. Emily placed her hands on Spencer's shoulders, slipped her coat off and hung it up. Emily then hung her own coat up next to Spencer's. Emily took her phone from her pocket and called for a cab.

"How long do we have?" Spencer asked.

"About half an hour."

"Good. Come sit down with me." Spencer took Emily's hand and led her over to the couch.

Once they had both sat down, Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's body. Emily placed her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder as Spencer nestled her face against the architect's neck. Emily leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head.

* * *

It wasn't long before Emily's cab pulled up to the Hastings' house.

"I guess I have to go..." Emily put her coat on and hung her scarf around her neck.

"I'll walk you out."

"Are you sure? It's cold out."

"I'm walking you out." Spencer took her own coat off of the hook slipped it on.

They stepped outside and walked down the porch stairs toward the cab.

"Here are my car keys." Emily said, handing her keys over to Spencer.

"Thanks." Spencer slipped the keys into her coat pocket. "I'll make sure your car gets back to your apartment safely."

"Just be careful. I don't care about the car, but you driving out in the snow makes me nervous."

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust you, it's the other drivers I don't trust."

"I promise I'll be careful."

"Okay." Emily said as she placed her hands on Spencer's waist, leaned down and kissed her. As they kissed, Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and slipped one of her hands into the architect's hair.

"I love you." Emily said when the kiss was broken.

"I love you too." Spencer hugged Emily tight. "This'll never get any easier…" Spencer looked up into Emily's eyes.

"It won't, but I'll see you soon." Emily reached up and used her thumb to wipe away a tear from her girlfriend's cheek. I'll be back before you know it. You're not even gonna have time to miss me."

Noticing Spencer's body shiver as a cold gust of wind swept through the air, Emily took the scarf she was wearing and wrapped it around her girlfriend's neck.

"Please let me know when you get to the airport." Spencer smiled weakly.

"I will." Emily nodded.

"And promise you'll let me know when you get back to Texas."

"Spence, it'll be nearly three thirty in the morning your time when my plane lands and you have school tomorrow."

"I don't care. I need to know that you're safe. I'm not going to sleep until I hear from you. I'll stay up all night…"

"All right. I'll text you as soon as I possibly can."

"Thank you. Have a safe trip. I love you."

"I love you too." Emily placed her hand on Spencer's cheek and kissed her one last time before getting into the cab.

Spencer crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Emily's cab move slowly down the street until it completely disappeared from sight.

* * *

It was almost four in the morning when Peter walked into the family room, where Spencer was lying on the couch with the television on, though she wasn't paying much attention.

"Hey kiddo. I thought I heard something down here." Peter said. "What are you doing up?" He rubbed one of his eyes with the heel of his hand and yawned.

"I can't sleep. I'm waiting for Emily to get home. Her plane should have landed almost half an hour ago. She promised she'd text me...and she hasn't…"

"If she promised I'm sure she will." Peter sat down next to his daughter. "It's been snowing, maybe the flight is taking a little longer than expected."

"Maybe."

"How was your date?"

Spencer glanced over at her father.

"It was great. We had a really nice dinner. I just wish we would have had a little more time before she left."

"She'll be back soon." Peter gently patted his daughter's knee.

"I know, it's just hard, dad. I know you don't understand it, but I love her…"

"I know you do. And after talking to her tonight, I know that she loves you too."

"What did you talk about?" Spencer asked.

"I apologized for how I've acted and I asked for us to start over."

"Really?" Spencer smiled brightly.

"Yes. I mean, I'm still not happy that she's five years older, but there's nothing I can do to change that. As long as she treats you with respect, I guess that's the most important thing I can ask for."

A moment later, Spencer's phone chimed in her hand. Her eyes immediately sank down to the phone's screen. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief upon noticing the message was from Emily.

Hey. I don't know if you're still awake, but I just landed. Sorry it's so late, we ran into some rough weather.

"Is that her?" Peter asked.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded as she began typing.

Good. I was getting worried. I'm glad you're safe. :)

Thanks for waiting up, but you should really get some sleep. I love you. XOXO

I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you too. Goodnight.

Night. Sleep tight.

"You should get to bed. You can still get a good few hours of sleep." Peter said as he picked up the remote, turned off the TV and stood up.

"Okay." Spencer stood up too. "And dad…thank you for giving Emily a chance." Spencer wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tight.

 

The next afternoon.

Spencer was getting ready to leave school when she got a text from Emily.

Hey. Whenever you head over to my apartment can you please go inside and see if I turned my bedroom light off? I feel like I forgot to shut it off before I left to pick you up last night.

Sure. Will do.

Thanks. Love you. I'll call you after work.

Can't wait. Love you too.

When Spencer pulled into the parking lot of Emily's apartment, she parked the architect's Prius and headed toward the apartment. Spencer fished her keys from her pocket and unlocked the door. She set Emily's car keys down on the kitchen counter and walked to the bedroom. Spencer opened the door and when she stepped into the bedroom, sitting in the middle of the bed, she found a large white teddy bear with a red ribbon tied around its neck, a box of chocolates, a bag of candy hearts and a card with her name written across the bright red envelope. Spencer smiled to herself as she picked up the card and tore open the envelope.

Spencer,

I'm so glad that we got to spend this weekend together. I can't even begin to tell you how much you mean to me. Every day I wake up knowing that I'm the luckiest person in the world to have you as my girlfriend. I never in a million years would have expected to find such a beautiful, intelligent and completely amazing woman to call my own. I love you with all of my heart. Here's to the first of hopefully many, many Valentine's Days spent together. Happy Valentine's Day. XOXOXO

Love,

Emily

P.S. There's a box of chocolate covered strawberries in the fridge for you and no matter what you say, you're the one with the bigger sweet tooth. And did I happen to mention that I love you? I just can't say those words enough when I'm around you.

Spencer closed the card as she felt a few tears prickle in her eyes.

"God, Em, even from fourteen hundred miles away, you still always manage to surprise me." Spencer reached up and wiped her eyes.

 

 


	74. Chapter 74

A few days later.

It was just after seven a.m. and Emily was still lying in bed, trying to will herself to get up and get ready for work. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone when she heard it chime. Emily smiled brightly upon noticing that she had received a new message from Spencer.

Good morning. :)

Morning, beautiful. :) How are ya?

Pretty good. I hope I didn't wake you.

You didn't. I've been laying here trying to get up. I meant to get up earlier and go to the gym before work, but that obviously didn't happen. :/ I usually try to go on Wednesday mornings.

Why are you worried? You're already totally ripped. Even your muscles have muscles. :D I think you'll be fine taking a day off.

Thank you. :) Wait. Shouldn't you be in class right now? How are you even texting me?

We got a lot of snow last night, so they canceled school. I was already awake and now I can't fall back asleep.

Cool. What are you going to do on your unexpected day off?

I'm not sure yet. Read, maybe finish filling out some college forms for U Penn.

Sounds like a pretty productive off day...I miss you btw. I wish I could see your face.

I miss you too. Hold on a second I'm going to send you a pic. :)

Awesome. I can't wait.

After a couple of minutes Emily's phone chimed again. She opened her texts and was met with a photo of her girlfriend. The photo was taken in Spencer's bedroom. She had one hand on her hip and a seductive smile on her face. She was wearing nothing except a tiny pair of blue striped panties and the scarf that Emily had given her before leaving for the airport on Sunday night. The scarf hung from Spencer's neck, draped over each of her shoulders and hung down her chest, covering both of her breasts, but leaving the rest of her body exposed.

Emily's eyes widened, she stared at the photo, not blinking for a few long moments as she found herself unable to tear her eyes away. Emily's gaze wandered from Spencer's face, down her chest, over her perfectly flat abdomen and down the creamy white flesh of her girlfriend's toned legs. Emily took the knuckle of her index finger between her teeth and bit down a little as she suddenly found herself extremely aroused. Once Emily was able to compose herself enough she typed a reply.

WOW. That scarf never looked so good. I literally can't even think straight right now...damn. Nice thing to wake up to. You're like unbelievably sexy, you know that?

Thanks. You're making me blush. I just wish you were still working here. There's no one home except me...we could have had a lot of fun.

Now you're giving me all kinds of ideas.

Good. That was my point. So...you should probably send me a pic back. :)

Sure thing. How about after I take a shower? I'm positive I look like hell right now.

I'm positive you don't. You're always totally sexy first thing in the morning. But, I can wait for a pic on one condition...

What's the condition?

I want a picture of you in a towel. ;)

Hahaha deal. I'll take one in about ten minutes. Right now, I desperately need a very cold shower.

* * *

When Emily got out of the shower, she headed back to her bedroom and slipped on a black sports bra. She then wrapped her towel around her waist and walked over to her nightstand to get her phone. Emily opened the camera, held her phone up and just as she was about to snap the photo, she heard a knock at her door.

"Emily, honey, I made you some breakfast." Pam said from the other side of the door.

"Okay, mom. Thanks. I'm getting dressed. I'll be there in a minute."

Emily then ran her fingers through her damp hair, tousling it about. She then raised her phone up, snapped a few photos and looked through them. Once she had chosen the best one, she sent it Spencer. After only a minute or so Emily received a reply.

OMG. That is one extremely lucky towel and I totally think you're even hotter when you're soaking wet. ;)

I don't know about that, but thanks. I gotta get dressed, go eat breakfast and get to work, but since you're off school today, how about I call you on my lunch break?

You promise?

Cross my heart.

Great. I'll be waiting. I love you.

I love you too. Have a good day. XOXO

* * *

A little later that morning, Spencer had been sitting at the kitchen island filling out some college forms when she heard a knock at the front door.

Confused as to who might be knocking on her door so early in the morning on a weekday, Spencer got up from her stool and walked toward the door. She opened the door to find Aria, Hanna and Alison on the other side with four cups of coffee in paper to-go cups from the small café, just down the street.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Spencer asked.

"There's no school, so we're hanging out, duh." Alison rolled her eyes as she stepped inside.

"Here we got you a coffee." Aria said, giving one of the cups to Spencer.

"Thanks." Spencer closed the door once all of her friends were inside.

"Are those Emily's pajamas?" Hanna asked, noticing the slightly too long and baggy pair of Philadelphia Phillies pajama bottoms that Spencer was wearing.

"Yeah." Spencer smiled. "I borrowed them from her apartment. I just really like sleeping in her clothes, especially since she's been away. It makes me feel like she's a little bit closer."

"That's so adorable." Hanna said as she walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down.

"How're things since she went back to Texas on Sunday night?" Aria asked.

"As good as they can be, I guess." Spencer shrugged. "I miss her like crazy, but we talk every day. At least she'll be home in a month or so."

"So, you never really gave us any details about your Valentine's Day." Hanna said. "You guys were so cute at the dance. You seemed so happy."

"You spent the night at Emily's apartment after the dance." Alison said. "She bone you or what? I mean she did fly in all the way from Texas."

"We had sex." Spencer nodded. "And we stayed in bed practically all day on Saturday. I wasn't letting her leave without giving her a little something." She smirked.

"Look at you, Miss Confidence." Hanna said. "Three months ago you were so nervous to do it with Emily. I thought you were probably gonna have a panic attack during foreplay." She laughed.

Spencer laughed a little too.

"Well, Emily's been so sweet and she makes me feel so beautiful, I can relax when I'm with her. I don't feel like I have to worry."

"That's great, Spence." Aria said. "I'm glad she makes you feel that way."

"So...speaking of confidence...this morning, I actually worked up the nerve to send Em a kind of a risqué picture...I guess you would call it..."

"You actually sent her a naked picture?" Alison asked, obviously surprised.

"Well, not like full on naked naked. I had on underwear and her scarf that she left with me on Sunday."

"Are we talking covered or uncovered boobs?" Hanna asked.

"Covered. The front anyway. There was definitely some side boob though."

"That's the best way to go. Give them something, but not too much. Leave the rest up to their imagination. And what did your architect have to say about your naughty little picture?"

"She liked it." Spencer blushed a little. "I convinced her to send me one back too."

"Very nice." Hanna nodded in approval.

"So, you guys don't think I'm like really slutty for sending Emily that, do you?" Spencer asked.

"Of course not." Aria said.

"It's not like you're snapchatting your boobs to anyone and everyone." Hanna said. "You sent one sexy picture to your girlfriend, who loves you and happens to be living far away at the moment. That's not slutty. You're both just working through this long distance thing the best way you can."

"Let's get real here, Emily's human." Alison said. "With you guys being apart for so long, she's gonna be horny at some point and you know she's gonna get off to something, it might as well be you instead of some sleazy porn or something."

"Do you always have to be so crude all the time?" Aria said, looking at Alison.

"It's okay." Spencer said. "I think she's right. Before we started having sex, I was little insecure, but, now it doesn't really bother me if Emily looks at porn, I mean I don't know if she does, but if there's a choice, I'd rather have her look at me instead."

"Well, I mean, I guess that does make sense." Aria agreed.

"Besides that one picture, have you and Emily ever really hardcore sexted before?" Alison asked.

"Not really. I'll tell her that I wish she was here so we could have fun and stuff, but I'm not good at talking dirty."

"So, what do you do when you guys are actually having sex?" Hanna asked. "You do talk to her during, don't you?"

"Yeah, but that's different. When we're in the heat of the moment, I don't have time to like think about what I'm saying, I just say it."

"True." Hanna said. "Does Emily talk a lot in bed?"

"Yeah, but not really dirty talk. She usually tells me I'm beautiful and that she loves me. It's been a lot more passionate and romantic than dirty. She does swear a lot though when we're really into it, which is pretty hot."

"I can only imagine." Hanna laughed. "Emily's so nice and sweet all the time, I'm sure seeing her a little more aggressive probably is pretty hot."

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Emily took her lunch break and headed to her office. She walked inside and closed the door behind her, she took her phone from her pocket and called Spencer, as promised. After a few rings Spencer picked up.

"Hey, Em." Spencer said happily. "How's work?

"It's all right. I've been doing mostly electrical work all day, so it hasn't been too bad."

"You like doing electrical?"

"Yeah. It's easy. You do it wrong once and you'll learn." Emily laughed.

"Have you been shocked before?" Spencer laughed too.

"Yep. I've been zapped a couple of times in the past. Nothing serious, but it can still hurt like a bitch."

"Aw, poor baby." Spencer said sympathetically.

"It's cool. I think it usually just scares you more than anything else. So, are you enjoying your day off?"

"Yeah I am. Aria, Hanna and Alison came over this morning and we hung out for a little while. We just ended up watching a movie."

"That's fun. There's not much else to do when the weather sucks."

"I know. I wish I was in Texas with you, I bet it's nice and warm there."

"Warm enough that I wore a tank top to work today." Emily teased.

"Now I really wish I was in Texas to see that."

"Hell yeah, sun's out, guns out." Emily laughed. "May as well show off the old arms when you can."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Spencer said. "You know, I love that you're so comfortable and confident in your own skin. It's really sexy."

"Well, I have you to thank for a lot of that. You've helped me so much with my confidence these last few months."

"You've helped me with mine too. I don't think I'd ever have had the courage to send anyone except you the picture I took this morning."

"That picture."

Spencer could almost hear the smirk in Emily's voice.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that picture all day." Emily said.

"Just, you know don't like show anyone else, please. Okay?"

"Spence, I would never. Just so you know, as much as I like getting pictures like that from you, you don't have to feel obligated to send me stuff like that if it makes you even a little bit uncomfortable. I never want you to feel uncomfortable with me. Ever."

"I've never been uncomfortable with you at all, I think that came out wrong...I just-"

"You don't have to explain. I totally get it. You can always trust me. I'd never show anyone something personal like that, but anything you want kept just between us, stays between us. Simple as that."

"Thanks, Em. I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily was in her office, getting ready to head home from work when her phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had an incoming call from Stephanie. Emily stared at the screen for a moment, debating whether or not to take the call, but eventually decided to see what Stephanie wanted.

"Hello?" Emily said.

"Hi, Em. It's Steph..."

"I know. What's up? Everything all right?"

"Yeah...I was just hoping that you and I could talk."

"Talk about what?"

"Well...we haven't discussed your decision about Bryce's last name. Whether you want me to change it or not...I'm not trying to push you, but the situation isn't going away..."

"I know we haven't talked about it and I'm sorry, it's been on my mind, but I've been so busy lately..."

"It's okay. I understand that it's an important decision and I don't know what your parents said..."

"Honestly, I haven't told my parents yet. I haven't found a good time, but I am gonna talk to them about it. I promise I'll give you an answer soon. I just need a little more time."

"I understand and I know it's a complicated situation, but, I hope you'll seriously consider letting Bryce keep your name."

"I'm definitely gonna give it a lot of thought. And I just need to talk to Spencer and my parents before I make a decision."

"I get it. When you're ready, you know how to get a hold of me. I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Em."

"Bye."

Emily then ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket as her father entered the room.

"Hi, hun." Wayne said. "You ready to head home? I was thinking we could give your mother the night off and you and I could grill up some nice big steaks for dinner. What do you think?"

"Sure. That sounds great, dad."

 

 


	75. Chapter 75

Early that evening when Emily returned home from work, she headed upstairs to her bedroom and called Spencer.

"Hey, Em." Spencer answered happily.

"Hi. How's it going?"

"Good. How are you? You just get home?"

"Yeah. I just walked in...do you have a couple minutes?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Anything. What is it?"

"This afternoon, Stephanie called and she wants to talk about whether or not I wanna let Bryce keep my last name. I know I've been putting it off..."

"You have, but I know you and I'm positive it's been on your mind even if you haven't talked about it."

"It has been on my mind...a lot."

"And have you come to a decision yet?"

"Not exactly. I mean, what do you want me to do? Should I just tell her to change it? I want you to be honest because the last thing I wanna do is upset you."

"Em, I appreciate your concern, but I can't make this decision for you. It's your name, not mine...well, I mean, not yet. Hopefully someday it will be."

"I fully intend to make sure of it, Spence."

"And I fully intend to hold you to that. Seriously though, I want you to know I'll support you in whatever you decide to do."

"Thank you."

"Have you talked to your parents at all?"

"No. I need to. I think I'm gonna try to talk to my dad first."

"That's a good idea. I love your mom, but I think we can all pretty much guess what she'll say. I think you'll get a lot more understanding from your dad."

"Me too."

"I also wanna let you know that, either way, while I'm not Stephanie's biggest fan, if you wanna see Bryce every now and then, while you're in Texas, I'm okay with that."

"Thanks, Spence. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing, understanding girlfriend. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"I should go start dinner, but I'll call you later tonight after I talk to my parents about all of this."

"Okay. I'll talk to you a little later then."

* * *

That evening.

"Okay, dad, these are all ready to go on the grill." Emily said, walking outside with a plate of steaks in her hand.

"Perfect. What's your mother doing?"

"She said since we were making dinner, she was gonna take a bath and read for a little while."

"Good. She deserves a break. She does such a wonderful job taking care of us."

"For sure." Emily nodded as she placed the plate of steaks down next to the grill.

"These look great." Wayne said, using a pair of tongs to place each steak onto the grill.

"I used mom's favorite recipe. So...dad, do you think I could talk to you about something?" Emily asked.

"Of course, sweetheart." Wayne placed the last steak on the grill and closed the lid.

"You seem uneasy. Is something wrong?"

"Well...I just..."

"Honey, what ever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me." Wayne placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder and led her over to the patio table.

"Sit down." Wayne said as he pulled out two of the chairs and faced them toward each other.

Emily slowly ran her hand through her hair as she sat down with her father.

"Now, what is it?"

"You remember when I babysat Bryce last month?"

"How could I forget? There was so much tension between you and your mother."

"Yeah." Emily sighed. "I had no idea before that night, but Bryce still has my last name...our last name."

"Stephanie didn't give him his father's name?" Wayne asked, obviously surprised.

"No. I was in shock when I found out. I assumed if Bryce didn't have his father's name, Stephanie would have just given him hers."

"I'm sure you and Stephanie have had a conversation about this then?" Wayne asked calmly.

"We have." Emily nodded. "And she wants me to let Bryce keep our name."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing yet. I said I needed time to think about it. I've been putting it off, then she called me today. I said I'd give her an answer soon, but I don't know what to say."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure what to do. He's not my son anymore and I kind of feel like if he's not my mine and I'm not actively involved in his life, why have my name? But...he's gonna be three soon, he's talking, he already knows his name...I don't want him to be confused."  
"It's a pretty complicated situation when you're dealing with a child. And no doubt a tough decision."

"So, what do I do, dad?"

"I wish I could tell you, Emmy, but this something that's entirely your choice. I don't think there's necessarily a right or wrong choice here, it's about what you want to do."

Emily closed her eyes for a moment

"My name is the only part of me he has left...if I tell Stephanie to change it, it'll be like I never existed."

"That's not true." Wayne said. "No matter what you decide, Bryce will always be a part of you. You weren't together for long, but in that short amount of time, you were a damn good mother to him and I'm so proud of the woman you've grown up to be."

"Thanks." Emily smiled a little. "I know that I'll never have the relationship with Bryce that I did, but I still wanna do what's best for him."

"I know you do." Wayne said, reaching out and taking his daughter's hand.

"Maybe I should just flip a coin." Emily said, half jokingly as she stood up.

"I happen to have one." Wayne stood up and fished a quarter from his pocket. "Heads you change the name, tails you don't."

Wayne then flipped the quarter, Emily watched it rotate as both possibilities raced through her mind.

"Wait...I was just kidding." Emily said as she watched her father catch the coin in his hand. "You actually think I should make this decision based on a coin flip?"

"No. But I bet in the spilt second that the coin was in the air, you knew which possibility you were hoping for." Wayne smiled as he slipped the coin back into his pocket without looking at the result.

Emily nodded. She inhaled a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I think I'm gonna let him keep my name." Emily said. "It's been nearly three years, I don't wanna make things more complicated for Bryce."

"I understand." Wayne nodded. "You know I'm behind you."

"Thanks, dad." Emily wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tight. "I love you."

"I love you too, Emmy. Now, you know you need to talk to your mother."

"I know." Emily sighed. "I'll talk to her after dinner. Maybe you can hold her back when she tries to kill me."

* * *

Later that evening.

"Emily, are you crazy?" Pam said as she stood up from the couch and paced about the room. "I can't believe this. How could she not change Bryce's name? And furthermore how can you let him keep it?"

"Pam, calm down, it's all right." Wayne said, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"No, it's not. Nothing about this is right."

"Mom, I've thought about this a lot. Bryce already knows what his name is. I think it'll be easier for him, if it doesn't get changed."

"Sure maybe for the time being, but what happens when Bryce gets older and starts asking why he doesn't have two parents and why his last name is different from his mother's and his biological father's?"

"That'll be Stephanie's issue to handle when the time comes. But, I hope at some point, when he's old enough to understand, she'll tell him about me. I hope some day she'll tell him how much I loved him."

"Emily." Pam sighed. "This won't help you to let go. If he keeps your name, you'll always feel a connection to him and you'll never be able to move on from this."

"I've realized that I'll probably always feel a connection to him. I don't wanna forget him."

"I think you're making a huge mistake…"

"I just don't understand why you can't respect and support my decision." Emily said, quickly becoming defensive. "Dad does and so does Spencer."

"You support this?" Pam asked, turning and looking up into her husband's eyes.

"I do." Wayne nodded. "This is Emily's decision and honestly, if it were me, I think I'd be doing the same thing."

"Why do you always have to make my life harder?" Emily asked, looking at her mother with sad eyes. "It's not like this has been easy for me."

"Honey, I'm not trying to make your life more difficult. I just want you to make a smart, rational decision. Bryce isn't your son and he never will be...I'm sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you never loved him the way I did. I thought you would have been able to look past everything with Stephanie and at the very least accepted Bryce, but now I know it was all just an act."

"You know that's not true. I loved him just as much as you did." Pam countered.

"You don't act like it now. If you had your way, you'd just wipe clean every memory I've ever had of him."

"I would never want that. I know you loved Bryce. But you can't change the situation. You can't have Bryce without Stephanie."

"I know that. It'd just be nice to have a little support from you, mom. This is the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my whole life…"

"You think Stephanie leaving with Bryce wasn't hard on your father and I?" Pam said, now on the verge of tears. "He was our first grandbaby and we loved him more than anything. I was right there when he was born. You don't think I miss him?"

"It hasn't seemed like it. All you've done is yell at me because I still care about Bryce. I'm over Stephanie, but how am I supposed to just stop caring about Bryce? I can't just turn those feelings off, believe me I've tried."

"Emily, I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want to protect you. Do you remember how terrible you felt when Stephanie left? Your father and I were worried about you for months. I hated that you were living alone a thousand miles away, but I supported you moving to Pennsylvania because I thought it'd help you to get away from all of this. There was a time when your dad and I weren't sure if you would ever come out of that depression. Do you know how much it hurt me to see my baby in so much pain? It nearly killed me knowing that there was nothing I could do to make the whole thing go away."

"But, I'm okay now. I'm just trying to deal with this the best way I can."

"I know, but I can't trust Stephanie. Not after what she did to you. I just feel like this whole thing isn't about her wanting things to be easier for Bryce. She's trying to weasel her way back into your life. She wants you back and she's using her son try…"

"I don't know about that. I know Stephanie's made some mistakes, but I think she's a pretty good mom. I know Bryce is the most important thing to her and I do believe she just wants to do what's right for him. Besides, even if she did want me back, I don't want to get back with her. Spencer's the only person I have feelings for now. I won't mess up what I have with her."

* * *

Early the next evening.

When Emily got off work, she headed across town to Stephanie's house. Emily parked her motorcycle in the driveway next to Stephanie's SUV. She walked up the porch stairs and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, Stephanie came to the door.

"Emily. Hey." Stephanie said, a little surprised to see the architect.

"Hi. Can we talk?"

"Of course. Come in."

"Is anyone else here?" Emily asked following Stephanie into the living room.

"No, my parents took Bryce out for dinner so I could get some homework done."

"Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting you..."

"It's not a problem. I assume you came to talk about Bryce?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded.

"Listen, I hope you didn't feel like I was rushing you to make a decision, I didn't mean to..." Stephanie said as both she and Emily sat down on the couch.

"You didn't. I know I've been putting this off." Emily said as she set her motorcycle helmet down on the floor next to the couch.

"Did you talk to your parents?"

"Yeah. My dad was pretty understanding about everything, but my mom was…upset when she found out that you never changed Bryce's name."

"I can't say that I'm surprised or that really blame her."

"Look Steph, despite what my mom thinks, I wanna do the best possible thing for Bryce. So, I'm okay with him keeping my name."

"You're sure?" Stephanie asked sincerely.

"I'm sure." Emily nodded. "I've given both options a lot of thought and I honestly think this is the right thing to do."

"I do too. I'm so glad you agree. I know this is the best thing for Bryce." Stephanie leaned over and hugged Emily. "Thank you so much. I know none of this has been easy for you and it's all my fault."

Stephanie pulled away and stared Emily in the eyes.

"It is what it is, Steph...well, I should be heading home. I just wanted to let you know my decision."

Emily leaned over to pick up her helmet from the floor.

"Em, wait..."

"What?" Emily turned to face Stephanie.

In a split second, Emily unexpectedly found Stephanie's lips planted against her own.

"What the hell?" Emily quickly pulled away and stood up. "What...are you doing?"

"I...just...I..."

"You what?"

"Emily, as hard as I've tried not to, I do still have feelings for you. I never should have left..."

"I have absolutely zero interest in having any level of a romantic relationship with you anymore." Emily said flatly, cutting Stephanie off. "I'm in love with Spencer, you know that."

"I'm sure Spencer's a sweet kid, but she's still just a kid. She's not even out of high school."

"So what? That doesn't change how we feel about each other."

"Are you her first girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I am." Emily said matter of factly. "What difference does it make?"

"She hasn't really dated or been through college, what happens when she decides that she'd rather party and experiment with other people instead of settling down with you."

"Don't worry about my relationship. You know, not every girl is like you, Stephanie, some of them actually stay faithful to their partners. I love Spencer and she loves me. Age doesn't matter to us. Spencer's shown me what real love is supposed to feel like."

"You haven't even been together long, how can you say you're in love with her? We were together for almost a year before you said you loved me…"

"I just knew with Spencer, I've never been one to fall in love easily. I was always skeptical of people who'd date for a month and start throwing around the "L" word. But then I felt it and now I understand."

"You're honestly that serious about someone you met less than a year ago?"

"You know how serious I am? If I felt like Spencer was ready for the commitment and I thought her father would allow us right now, I'd be on the first plane back to Pennsylvania to ask her to marry me."

"Look, Em, you apparently feel pretty strongly about Spencer, but you and I, we have so much history together. We went through a pregnancy, we started raising a baby together..." Stephanie took a step toward Emily. "I still love you. And Bryce loves you. We can get married and you can officially adopt Bryce. We can all be a family again, just like we were always supposed to."

"Did you not hear any of what I just said? I don't want to be with you. I'm not trying to be an ass, but while you were messing around trying to figure out what you wanted, I found someone who's sure that she wants to be with me."

"You really don't feel anything for me? At all? You had to have felt something when we kissed after all this time...I know I did."

"First of all, WE didn't kiss. You kissed me and I'm sorry, but there's definitely nothing there for me." Emily picked up her motorcycle helmet and began walking toward the door.

"So that's it then? You're just gonna walk out and turn your back on your son?"

Emily froze in her tracks and turned back around to face Stephanie.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Emily asked staring Stephanie hard in the eyes. "Look. You don't get to play the victim here. You clearly haven't considered Bryce to be my son for almost two years now. He apparently wasn't my son when you and your parents decided that you should up and leave without even talking to me first-"

"Leaving you was the biggest mistake of my life." Stephanie blurted out. "Even my parents agree, they should never have pushed me to be with Justin when you were obviously much better parent and spouse material."

"So what your parents magically like me now? Why the sudden change? Because I've been able to make a decent living for myself? Because now I'm not strapped for cash and taking on any shit job that came my way just to make ends meet, like I did when you were pregnant? You never once contacted me until you found out I was here working on this Army project."

"It's not about money, Em...they know that they were wrong about you."

"What, because things didn't work out with Bryce's father, in your parents' eyes, it's now somehow okay for you to be with a woman and for Bryce to have two mothers? They expect me to just step in and take over like nothing ever happened?"

"That's not what I'm saying...I know that I royally screwed up with you. I should never have let them get in my head and influence my decision. You've always been the right person for me and the best possible parent for Bryce." Stephanie said as her eyes began to fill with tears. "I just want everything to go back to the way it used to be."

"Well, we don't always get what we want. I know that better than anyone. And you won't make me feel guilty. I did everything I could. I was there for you from the minute we found out you were pregnant. And I was definitely there for Bryce. You know, this whole time I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, I stuck up for you…but I guess my mom and Spencer were right after all. You used Bryce to try to get me to come back. How can you do that? Just use your son like that...that's messed up."

"Em, it's not like that...I just..."

"There's no way I'm gonna ruin a good thing with Spencer because all of a sudden you decided that you wanna play family with me again. There's no future for us, Stephanie. In just a few weeks I'm going home to Pennsylvania, it's where I belong and Spencer's the person I belong with. I don't regret the time I spent with you and everything I did, but we just weren't meant to be."

Emily then turned and walked out without giving Stephanie another glance.

 

When Emily returned home that evening, she headed up to her bedroom. She opened her laptop and sent a Skype request to Spencer. It wasn't long before Spencer accepted and her image appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Em." Spencer smiled.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good. I just got back from dinner at the country club with my parents and Wren and Melissa."

"How was that?"

"Kind of boring. It was mostly Melissa and my parents talking wedding stuff, you know the usual. I wish you would have been there. How's your night going?"

"I've been better. I just got back from talking to Stephanie."

"Sounds like it didn't go so well? I thought she wanted you to let Bryce keep your name. Did you change your mind?"

"No. Everything started out fine until she kissed me and told me she wanted me back."

"I'll kill her. If I was in Texas right now, I'd so kick her ass…"

"It's okay Spence." Emily laughed a little. "You don't have to worry. I didn't feel a single thing when she kissed me…so you and my mom were totally right…she used Bryce to play me and I let her…" Emily sighed heavily. "So you can go ahead and say it…"

"Say what?" Spencer asked, confused.

"I told you so, you're a moron. I should have listened, I'm a total and complete idiot. Take your pick."

"Aw, Em. I would never say any of that. You're not an idiot at all."

"God, how could I have been so naïve? I should have known better."

"You just like to think the best of people. You'd never use or hurt anyone, so you'd never expect anyone to do it to you."

"Thanks. I just can't wait to come home to be with you. I've been counting the days."

"Oh yeah? How many days then?" Spencer smiled.

"We're scheduled to finish up this job in about twenty eight days. Throw in a couple of extra days grace to get my stuff together and I'll be on the soonest flight home."

"Aw, you really have been keeping track?"

"Of course I have. I've been away from you for too long. I'm so ready to go back to getting to see you just about every day, taking you out, cooking us dinner, falling asleep together. All of that."

"Me too. Do you have any other jobs already lined up for when you come home?"

"Nothing official yet. I didn't want to commit to anything, until I knew for sure when I'd be back in Pennsylvania."

"Good, so you'll have some free time to spend with me?"

"I sure will. I'll always have time for you, Spence."

 

 


	76. Chapter 76

A few weeks later.

One afternoon, Spencer had been in her bedroom, going through her closet when Hanna walked into the room.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hey, Han." Spencer said, poking her head out of the closet.

"What are you doing?" Hanna asked as another article of clothing flew from the closet and landed on the floor, near Hanna's feet.

"Emily comes home tomorrow, I'm looking for something sexy to wear for her-"

"That's right!" Hanna interjected. "How could I forget about Miss Fix It coming home tomorrow? You've gotta be so excited."

"I can't wait to see her." Spencer smiled brightly. "I'm so happy…but I'd be a lot happier if I could find something good to wear. All of my clothes are so lame." She sighed.

"Not ALL of them." Hanna walked over to the closet. "Wear these." She picked up a pair of shiny, black Manolo stiletto heels that looked brand new.

"Yeah, but what do I wear them with..."

"Nothing." Hanna smirked. "Just these and a smile."

"Hanna." Spencer shook her head and laughed a little.

"I'm totally serious, Spence. Seeing you in a pair of sexy heels and nothing else would definitely get Emily's heart racing. If it doesn't, then she has absolutely no right to call herself gay."

Spencer laughed again. "I'm just not sure if I can go that bold, you know?"

"Well, if you're uncomfortable going completely naked, how about some nice lingerie or something? I bet that would drive Emily crazy."

"That's a great idea, but I don't really own any lingerie. You up for heading to the mall?"

"Seriously?" Hanna said in a disbelieving tone. "What could I possibly rather do than help you pick out some hot lingerie to impress your hot architect?"

"You'll help me pick something classy right? I don't want anything slutty."

"Don't worry, we'll get you something totally amazing."

* * *

"How about something like either of these?" Hanna asked, holding up a tiny G-string in one hand and pair of see through panties in the other.

"I don't think so." Spencer narrowed her eyebrows. "I'd rather go with something a little more...modest."

"Okay, fine. We'll keep looking. But, you should totally think about getting Emily a G-string, if her ass looks even half as good in one as it does in jeans…"

"I can't say I'd mind seeing her in a G-string, but I'm not sure that's really her style."

"Probably not, but it's definitely worth at least picturing."

"True." Spencer nodded.

"Let's check out the stuff over there." Hanna tossed the underwear back onto the table and took Spencer's hand, dragging her over to a display across the store.

They spent the next few minutes browsing all different types of panties and other various styles of lingerie in all kinds of materials and prints.

"How about this?" Hanna took a purple baby doll from one of the racks. "Baby dolls are pretty classy."

"I actually really like that." Spencer said, taking the hanger from her friend.

Spencer held the silk, spaghetti strap garment up to her body. It was adorned with black lace around the bust and hem and it was see through at the abdomen.

"Do you think it's long enough?" Spencer glanced downward, trying to gauge the length of the garment on her thighs.

"I think it's perfect. It'll hit right about here." Hanna reached down and placed her hand on Spencer's upper thigh. "You're tall enough that it'll be short, but not too short."

"You think Emily will like this?"

"How could she not?" Hanna said reassuringly.

"I just want everything to be perfect tomorrow night."

"It definitely will be. You're gonna look amazing and Emily's gonna love you in this." Hanna took the material of the garment between her fingertips. "Plus, this is pretty simple, it'll be super easy for Emily to take off when that time comes. There aren't tons of straps, buckles, hooks, buttons, ties or lacing to confuse her."

Spencer laughed. "Emily's pretty smart, I'm sure she'd be able to figure out how to take off lingerie."

"Oh I know she's smart, it's just that after she sees you for the first time in a month in some sexy lingerie, there's no way her brain's gonna be able to focus long enough to tell her hands how to undo some of this stuff."

"So you're really sure Emily will like this? You think the color's okay on me and everything?"

As Spencer and Hanna were talking, a young saleswoman approached the pair.

"Is there anything I can help you ladies with?" The saleswoman asked.

"Yes, actually." Hanna said. "Can you please tell my friend how hot she'd look in that?"

"Your friend's right." The woman said, looking over at Spencer. "This'll go great with your skin tone."

"You really think so?" Spencer asked.

"Absolutely. Are you shopping just for yourself, or are you looking for something to wear for a special someone, maybe?" She smirked.

"Yes." Hanna placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "Her girlfriend's been out of state working, they haven't seen each other in a month and she wants to spice things up for her homecoming, but she's a little shy..."

"Hanna." Spencer blushed and averted her eyes to the floor.

"Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed." The saleswoman said. "I think everyone's love life can use a little extra spice. And in your case, I'd definitely go with that and a nice pair of matching panties. It's sexy, but on the tamer side of a lot of the stuff we sell and totally tasteful. Your girlfriend won't know what hit her."

* * *

"Okay, so we've got the lingerie situation figured out." Hanna said as she and Spencer walked through the mall. "You wanna go get a manicure? I desperately need one."

"Sure. That sounds good. I haven't had one in a while."

"You have to promise to tell me how Emily likes the lingerie and everything and I want all the details."

"Deal." Spencer laughed.

"Now, more importantly, are you ready down below or..."

"Not yet. I definitely need to shave. It's been a couple of weeks..."

"A couple weeks?" Hanna glanced over at her friend.

"What? It's not like I've had a reason to keep up with the landscaping this last month."

"True, I guess…well if it's been a while, why don't you just get a wax when we get our nails done? You normally shave everything, don't you?"

"I do." Spencer nodded. "But, I've never had a wax before. I don't know if I can...it'd be awkward and..."

"It's really not as awkward as you think. They're professional, they talk to you while they're doing it. Fifteen, twenty minutes you're done and it feels great afterward. It lasts so much longer than shaving."

"I do hate shaving...but, if I do get a wax, I'll still be okay to have sex tomorrow, right?"

"Sure. It shouldn't be a problem. I've done it the same day as getting a wax. No big deal."

"How much does it hurt?" Spencer asked as she and Hanna approached the salon.

"It hurts a little at first, but you get used to it. Besides, it's totally worth the temporary pain, I promise. I'll even get a wax with you, I'm about due for one anyway."

* * *

About an hour and a half later, Spencer and Hanna exited the salon.

"Well, how do you feel?" Hanna asked.

"Sore." Spencer groaned as she slipped her hands into her pockets and pulled her jeans down a little.

"Don't worry, that'll go away. I'm sure Emily will appreciate it. She does landscape for you, right?"

"Mm, hmm." Spencer nodded.

"Good. Oh and your nails look awesome by the way."

"Thanks. They'll even match my lingerie." Spencer brought her hand up and looked at her nails that were painted black with purple accents. "I don't know if Emily will notice, but at least I'll feel better knowing everything matches."

"Definitely. Knowing how OCD you get about that kind of stuff." Hanna laughed.

"Oh like you don't care if you your nails match your outfit." Spencer said sarcastically. "We've been late for stuff because you've had to repaint your nails after you changed your outfit."

"Okay, okay. Fair enough." Hanna chuckled. "I'm just happy that Emily's coming home. I know how much you miss her. You guys deserve some couple time after having to be apart for so long, but you guys totally have to double with Caleb and I sometime."

"I'd love to. I'll talk to Emily and we'll have to find a time that's good for all of us."

"Sure. And we'll have to come up with somewhere really good for Emily and Caleb to take us."

* * *

Later that evening when Spencer arrived home, she walked in the back door and found her father in the kitchen, searching through the cabinets for something to eat.

"Hey, Spence. You hungry?" Peter asked. "I was just trying to decide what to have for dinner."

"I ate at the mall, so I'm not hungry. Isn't mom home?"

"No. She said she's stuck working late, so I'm on my own for dinner." Peter opened the refrigerator and stared inside. "I guess I'll just make myself a sandwich."

"Okay, but don't put any mayo on it. You know you're supposed to be cutting down on fat."

"Between you and your mother, I don't think I'll ever be able to eat anything good." Peter laughed as he took some cold cuts from the refrigerator and set them on the counter. "So, you buy anything good at the mall?"

"Oh, not really. I just needed some new clothes for gym and some underwear, stuff like that."

"Well, I wanted to ask you, I invited a couple of clients to the club tomorrow evening to play some tennis, you interested in playing some doubles with your old man?"

"I'd love to, but Emily's coming home tomorrow evening. I said I'd pick her up at the airport, then we have a date."

"That's right. You did tell me she was coming home. You must be pretty happy."

"I am. I can't wait."

"What do you two have planned?" Peter reached into one of the drawers for a knife.

"I'm actually not really sure yet." Spencer said.

"Are you all right?" Peter asked, noticing an uncomfortable look on Spencer's face as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, trying to alleviate some of the lingering soreness from her wax.

"I'm fine. My leg's just a little sore from gym today. We played soccer today and I got kicked by accident."

Spencer then heard her phone begin ringing.

"It's Emily." Spencer smiled, looking at her phone's screen. "I'm gonna take this upstairs."

"Hey, Em." Spencer said, heading toward the stairs.

"Hey, you. What are you up to?"

"Not much. Just got home from the mall with Hanna."

"Cool. Sounds like fun."

"What about you?" Spencer asked as she set her bag down on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just packing up the rest of my stuff. I can't believe by this time tomorrow we'll get to be together again."

"Neither can I. I can't wait to get you home. I'm gonna kiss you and hug you and probably not let you go all night. Just warning you."

"I'm perfectly okay with all of that."

"Good. Now, you said your flight should land in Philly about six thirty, right?"

"Yep."

"Perfect. As soon as I get out of school, I'll stop home, get ready and head to the airport."

"You sure you can pick me up? I don't want you to have to rush, I can get a cab."

"No way am I letting you take a cab. It's been so long since we last saw each other. I wanna be the first person you see when you get off that plane."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

* * *

The next afternoon.

Emily set her suitcase down near the door.

"Is this all of your stuff?" Wayne asked.

"That's it." Emily nodded.

"Okay. I'll pack up the car." Wayne gathered up the bags and headed out the front door.

"Are you sure you can't stay just a few more days?" Pam asked. "I know things between us have been a little tense, but I'm just looking out for you because I love you." She placed her hand on Emily's cheek.

"I love you too. My leaving doesn't have anything to do with you." Emily said. "I always planned to go back to Pennsylvania after this job."

"I know." Pam sighed heavily. "I just didn't expect these last few months to go by so fast. Your father and I are still going to come see you as soon as he can get some time off."

"That'd be great. Just promise to give me a little heads up so I'll have time to clean my apartment." Emily laughed.

"I promise." Pam laughed too.

"It's been so nice having you home. Thank you for all the repairs you've done around here. If I waited for your father to get around to doing them, I'd still be waiting."

"You're welcome." Emily smiled. "I'm always happy to help out."

"I can't believe you're leaving. I'll miss you so much." Pam leaned in and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"I'll miss you too." Emily said, returning the embrace.

"I packed some snacks in your carry on in case you get hungry on the plane." Pam pulled back and looked up at her daughter. "And I packed you a couple of bags of that French Vanilla coffee you like in your suitcase."

"You didn't have to do that. I'll have to go grocery shopping when I get home anyway."

"You said you were out of coffee and with your apartment sitting empty all this time, you can't have much food there. You'll a least need some energy for shopping. Besides, I know how grouchy you can get before you've had your coffee."

"Thanks, mom." Emily smiled. "And thanks for taking care me while I've been home."

"Are you both ready to head to the airport?" Wayne asked when he reentered the house.

"I think so." Emily nodded.

"Let's get going then." Wayne placed his hand on Emily's shoulder. "We don't want to be late."

"You're sure you have everything?" Pam asked.

"I think so."

"And you said Spencer will be there to pick you up at the airport?" Wayne asked.

"Uh huh. She'll be there." Emily said as she followed her father and mother out the front door.

As she left the house, Emily began feeling a slew of mixed emotions. On one hand, it was difficult having to leave her parents. Emily couldn't help but be overcome with some sadness, not knowing when she'd see her parents next. But, one the other hand, she was happy knowing that in just a couple of hours she'd be reunited with her girlfriend, who she had missed so much. Emily closed the front door behind her and headed to her father's car.

 

 


	77. Chapter 77

Spencer sat in the airport terminal, anxiously waiting for Emily's plane to land. She checked her watch, noting that it was six fifteen. Spencer smiled to herself, knowing that Emily's plane should be landing within the next fifteen minutes. Spencer closed her eyes for a moment and shifted in her seat, when she opened her eyes she looked down at her watch again, a full minute hadn't even passed yet, but Spencer's excitement was now beginning to get the best of her.

Emily removed her earphones from her ears, wrapped up the cord and placed her earphones into her backpack at her feet. She slipped her phone into her pocket and pushed her backpack underneath the seat to prepare for the landing. Emily smoothed out her shirt and undid one of the buttons, revealing just a little more of her gorgeously tanned skin. Emily closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat as she felt the plane begin its final descent toward the runway. Emily's eyes opened only when the plane touched the ground, the landing being a little rougher than she had experienced in quite some time. Once the plane had stopped moving, Emily unbuckled her seatbelt and gathered her things. She patiently waited for the other passengers in her row to file out into the aisle before following behind.

As soon as Spencer began to see passengers flooding through the terminal, she immediately stood up and walked a little closer to the doors. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribcage that she was certain anyone standing nearby could hear. Her eyes darted back and forth searching for her girlfriend and it was only a matter of a few minutes later that Spencer spotted Emily. Emily stared straight ahead, her eyes locking on Spencer's. The architect's breath caught in her throat and although her legs were still moving forward, Emily suddenly felt frozen in place. Nevertheless, she walked quickly toward Spencer as the brunette took a few steps forward, neither girl's eyes ever leaving the other's.

"Em." Spencer's arms immediately wrapped themselves tightly around Emily's body.

"I missed you." Emily said as she happily returned the embrace, holding Spencer against her chest.

"I missed you too." Spencer said, her face buried into Emily's shoulder as she inhaled the familiar musky scent of her girlfriend's perfume.

After a few long moments, they finally separated.

"I'm so glad you're home." Spencer said, staring up into Emily's eyes.

"So am I. You have no idea." Emily smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips to Spencer's.

"I love you so much." Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily again and squeezing her.

"I love you too." Emily placed her hand on Spencer's back and gently moved it up and down as she kissed the top of Spencer's head.

When they pulled apart again, Emily took a step back and looked Spencer up and down.

"You look just as beautiful as you did when I left on Valentine's Day." Emily took Spencer's hands in her own.

"Thanks, Em." Spencer smiled. "You look great too. Let's go pick up your bags so we can get out of here."

"Good idea." Emily said.

"We have so much catching up to do." Spencer happily laced her fingers with Emily's as they walked over to the baggage claim area.

Once Emily had retrieved her bags, she and Spencer headed through the airport and toward the exit.

"So, can we please promise to not come back to the airport for a while, unless we're planning on going somewhere together?" Spencer said.

"I promise." Emily nodded.

"Good." Spencer linked her arm around Emily's elbow as they walked into the parking lot. "I'm over there, near the end. Row G." Spencer pointed across the lot.

"Cool. So, what do you wanna do tonight?" Emily asked. "We can do what ever you want. You want me to take you to dinner? We can stop somewhere on the way home. Or I can cook something..."

"Actually...I thought since you always cook for me, I'd make something for you this time."

"That sounds great. We can stop at the store on the way home."

"We don't even need to do that. I already took care of everything, we just need to head over to your apartment." Spencer said as they approached her car.

"You're an amazing girlfriend, you know that?" Emily turned and pressed her lips to Spencer's. "I can't wait to get home."

* * *

"It feels so good to be back." Emily said as she and Spencer walked through the door to her apartment.

"It feels so good to have you back." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her. "It feels like it's been forever."

As they kissed, Spencer's fingers tangled themselves into Emily's hair. The architect's hands slipped down to Spencer's waist as she pulled the brunette closer. Spencer moaned softly into the kiss when she felt Emily's tongue brush against her bottom lip.

"Now this, I've definitely missed." Spencer placed her open palm flat on Emily's chest, just below her neck.

"Me too." Emily leaned down and slowly began kissing Spencer's neck. Spencer leaned her head back as she felt Emily begin sucking on her pulse point.

"You wanna take this to the bedroom?" Emily said huskily into Spencer's ear.

"You're horny already?" Spencer smirked.

"Kind of…maybe we can get in bed and you can give me a little welcome home..."

"How about if you go into the bedroom, get undressed…"

"Yeah…" Emily raised an eyebrow, a smirk creeping across her lips. "and…"

"And then you can welcome yourself home…" Spencer laughed. "If you can't wait until after dinner."

"I guess I can wait." Emily sighed. "I've already had plenty of quality time with myself these last few months…you're a total tease, just so you know."

"Don't worry, I'll make it worth the wait. I want you to get something in your stomach first." Spencer patted Emily's abdomen. "You'll need the energy."

"That's probably a good idea. I haven't eaten since early this afternoon. What are we eating tonight anyway?" Emily asked.

"Filet mignon in a mushroom-wine sauce, rosemary-garlic mashed potatoes and some nice salad greens."

"In that case, eating is definitely a good idea."

"Why don't you sit down and relax and I'll take care of dinner."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Don't worry about it. Just relax for once." Spencer took Emily by the hands and led her over to the couch.

* * *

"How's the filet?" Spencer asked, glancing across the table at her girlfriend.

"It's great. It's really tender and juicy and the sauce is delicious."

"Thanks. I got the recipe from my mom. She's a pretty good cook, when she actually cooks."

"Well, clearly you inherited her skills from then. Thank you for making me dinner, by the way."

"You're welcome." Spencer smiled. "You always do such a great job taking care of me, I wanted to do something for you."

"I definitely appreciate it. This was really sweet of you."

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily and Spencer found themselves on the couch involved in a very intense and heated lip lock. Emily leaned Spencer against the armrest of the couch as she aggressively slipped her tongue into the brunette's mouth, pressing her body tightly against Spencer's.

"Em." Spencer moaned into the kiss as Emily's fingers found her hair.

Spencer closed her eyes and slid her hands up Emily's abdomen, over her breasts and slowly began undoing the buttons on the architect's shirt.

"We should go to your room..." Spencer said as she slowly slid her hands up Emily's bare abdomen.

"Mmm hmm." Emily mumbled. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick first. I'll just be a minute. Meet me in the bedroom, okay?" Emily leaned down and pecked Spencer's lips.

"Okay." Spencer nodded.

As soon as Emily left the room, Spencer quickly headed into the bedroom. She reached under the bed and pulled out the bag that contained the lingerie she had bought the previous evening. She quickly slipped out of her clothes and into the purple and black babydoll and matching panties. She then knelt down on her usual side of the bed and tossed her brunette locks over her shoulders.

After only a few minutes, Emily walked into the bedroom, she looked up and was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight in front of her.

"Wow. I...I...uh..." Emily raised her eyebrows and stuttered, thinking of a million things she wanted to say, but she just couldn't verbalize her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried.

"You coming?" Spencer asked, patting Emily's spot on the bed.

"I, um...I actually think I already did." Emily said, her eyes still glued to Spencer's body.

Spencer grinned and laughed a little as she got up off of the bed.

"If you're not gonna come to me, I'll just have to come to you." Spencer took a few steps toward her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry...I just..." Emily stumbled over her words, running her hand through her hair. She was practically drooling as her eyes slowly moved up and down over her girlfriend's body.

"It's okay." Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and slipped her hand into the architect's hair. "I like rendering you speechless."

"You look amazing." Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and willed herself to speak as she placed her hands on Spencer's hips.

"Thanks." Spencer smiled and stood up on her toes to kiss Emily.

Spencer slid her hands down over Emily's shoulders and lifted her shirt off, letting it slip down to the floor. Emily inhaled a deep breath as Spencer's hands slowly slid down her chest and all the way down to the waistband of her jeans. At the moment, Spencer was grateful that Emily hadn't bothered to rebuckle her belt or button her pants. Spencer anxiously pulled the zipper down and slowly pushed Emily's jeans down her hips. As her pants pooled around her ankles, she stepped out of them and stared downward at Spencer's breasts, very much enjoying the way that the lace trim of the lingerie accentuated her girlfriend's chest.

"You ready to get into bed?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Emily nodded, a smirk creeping across her lips.

Spencer placed her arms around Emily's neck and jumped upward, tightly wrapping her legs around Emily's waist. Emily slipped her hands underneath Spencer's thighs to support the majority of her body weight.

"Carry me. Would you?" Spencer asked seductively.

"You got it." Emily growled huskily, more than happy to oblige her girlfriend's request.

When they reached the bed, Emily very gently laid Spencer down and anxiously climbed on top of her. Neither Emily nor Spencer immediate spoke. Emily hovered over her girlfriend, locking eyes with the brunette. After a few long moments, Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb.

"Your nails match your lingerie." Emily said. "I like it."

"Aw. You noticed." Spencer smiled.

"Of course I did." Emily tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear and leaned down to kiss her. "Every inch of you is beautiful and perfect. How could I not notice that? I love you."

"I love you too." Spencer said, pulling Emily down on top of her as they kissed.

Spencer slowly slid her hands up and down Emily's back and shoulders, sending a tingling sensation up and down the architect's spine. When Emily eventually broke the kiss, she slowly began trailing a series of gentle kisses down Spencer's neck and chest. Spencer shuddered a little when she felt Emily's lips connect with the sensitive flesh just above her collarbone. Spencer groaned in pleasure and slid her hands into Emily's hair, gripping the architect's raven locks between her fingers. Emily smiled into Spencer's chest when she felt her girlfriend gently tug on her hair. Emily then pulled away and leaned back on her knees.

"Can I take this off?" Emily asked, taking the straps of Spencer's babydoll into her hands.

"Go for it." Spencer smirked.

"I just wanna be clear about something, you look so sexy in this. I love it and I do want you to wear it again, but right now, I just really want it off."

"Me too." Spencer agreed, sitting up, helping Emily to remove the garment, which she quickly tossed aside.

Emily quickly discarded her own bra and underwear, tossing them both off of the bed and out of sight.

"I've really missed this view." Spencer said, reaching up and placing her palms flat against Emily's abdomen.

Emily smirked as she reached downward and took the waistband of Spencer's panties into her hands. Emily looked up at Spencer as she slid the brunette's panties down her legs. Emily then dropped the garment to the floor and crawled up Spencer's body, she leaned down and pressed her lips to the brunette's, initiating a heated, passion-filled kiss. Spencer moaned into the kiss, feeling Emily's naked body grind against her own. Emily slowly snaked her right hand down Spencer's body as her tongue worked against her girlfriend's.

When Emily's hand reached Spencer's center, she broke the kiss and stared down at her girlfriend.

"Did you get a wax?" Emily asked.

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded. "Do you like it?"

"Definitely. I think it's totally hot." Emily smiled as she leaned down to kiss Spencer again, while simultaneously, using her middle and index fingers to gently tease her girlfriend's clit just before slipping inside her center.

"Em..." Spencer moaned into the kiss as she felt Emily's fingers begin thrusting in and out of her body, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed with each in and out motion.

Emily broke the kiss only to move lower to kiss Spencer's neck and chest. Spencer slid her hands up Emily's back and dug her perfectly manicured nails into the architect's bare shoulders as she felt Emily suck on her pulse point and gently nip at her neck.

"Fuck. Harder, Em..." Spencer moaned loudly, raking her nails down Emily's back.

The architect quickly fulfilled her girlfriend's request and began pumping her fingers in and out at a much faster pace. Emily felt herself steadily becoming more and more aroused at the feeling of Spencer's nails digging hard into her skin.

It was only a few minutes later that Emily and Spencer had somehow switched positions. Emily now found herself lying flat on her back with Spencer straddling her. Emily breathed in and out erratically. Spencer lined her body up with Emily's center and began grinding herself against the architect. Emily groaned and placed her hands on Spencer's hips as the brunette began riding her so hard that the headboard of the bed collided with the wall and the mattress squeaked very loudly.

"Fuck…" Emily exhaled sharply. She began thrusting her hips upward and kept her hands planted firmly on Spencer's hips, steadying her, as she watched the brunette's small, round breasts bounce up and down each time Spencer's center rubbed hard against her own.

"God damn." Emily growled, placing her hands on Spencer's breasts and pinching the brunette's nipples between her fingers.

Emily eventually pulled Spencer down on top of her, locking lips with her girlfriend.

"Emily, please..." Spencer groaned into the kiss.

Knowing exactly what Spencer needed and deciding to forgo her own desires for the moment, Emily wasted no time in flipping positions with Spencer again. Emily kissed her way downward between Spencer's breasts and down her stomach. She settled herself in between Spencer's legs, wrapped her hands around her girlfriend's knees and slowly ran her tongue along the inside of Spencer's thigh and to her center. Spencer closed her eyes, her head sinking into the pillow as Emily's tongue slowly glided up her center.

"God, Em." Spencer gripped the sheets in her hands and arched her back, bringing her center in closer contact with Emily's tongue.

Emily brought her hand up to Spencer's entrance and slipped two fingers inside. Spencer released her grip on the sheets, her hands soon finding their way into Emily's hair.

"Mmmm..." Spencer tugged roughly at Emily's raven locks as the architect's tongue flicked over her clit. "Right there, Em…mmmm…"

As Spencer's grip on her hair tightened, Emily increased the speed and pressure she was using with her tongue, while at the same time quickly thrusting her fingers in and out of Spencer's center.

"Shit…" Spencer moaned loudly, running her fingers through her girlfriend's soft, dark hair.

Spencer began to feel an extreme tightening sensation in her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut and writhed on the bed, reveling in the sensations created by Emily's tongue and fingers.

"God, Em...don't stop." Spencer cried out. "I'm almost there..."

Spencer's breathing became heavier and heavier by the moment. Emily increased the pace of her tongue as she felt her girlfriend begin to contract around her fingers. The tightening in Spencer's stomach intensified, her muscles stiffened and her back arched up off of the bed.

"God, Em!" Spencer moaned loudly, her toes curling as orgasm overwhelmed her entire body from head to toe.

Emily continued moving her tongue and fingers until she felt Spencer's contractions cease. Once the contractions subsided, Emily slowly withdrew her fingers from her girlfriend's body. She used the heel of her hand to wipe the excess moisture from the corner of her mouth. She then crawled up Spencer's body and brushed a lock of sweat-dampened hair away from Spencer's forehead.

Emily leaned down and gently pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"That was great." Spencer said when the kiss was broken.

"Yeah?" Emily smiled.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded, biting her bottom lip, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm.

"Good." Emily nuzzled her face against Spencer's neck, gently kissing it.

"And...I do plan on reciprocating. I'm just gonna need a minute." Spencer said, inhaling a deep breath.

"No problem." Emily then rolled off of Spencer and flopped onto her back.

"You know what I'm most excited about right now?" Spencer asked.

"The amazing, completely mind-blowing orgasm you just had?" Emily turned her head, smirking at her girlfriend.

"Well, yeah." Spencer chuckled. "But, even better than that, I'm excited to know that tomorrow morning when I wake up, you'll be right here next to me." Spencer rolled over and wrapped her arms around Emily's body and laid her head on the architect's chest.

"You bet I will be." Emily ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. "I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

"I love you too." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and pressed her lips to the architect's.

 

 


	78. Chapter 78

It was late the next morning when Emily began to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, she was lying on her back with one arm around Spencer, the brunette's cheek resting on her chest.

"Morning." Emily said, stretching out her muscles as Spencer slowly opened her eyes.

"Morning." Spencer yawned.

"How'd you sleep?" Emily gently ran her hand up and down the small of Spencer's back.

"Great." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's body, squeezing her tight and burying her face into the architect's shoulder.

"Me too. I love you." Emily said, placing a kiss to the side of Spencer's head.

"I love you too." Spencer rolled over onto her side facing away from her girlfriend, prompting Emily to follow suit to spoon her.

Emily pulled Spencer against her chest, wrapping her arms protectively around the smaller girl.

"Can we just stay like this forever?" Spencer asked, running her fingers up Emily's forearm and bicep.

"Forever? I think you'd probably get sick of me eventually." Emily chuckled.

"That's not true at all."

"I'm glad to hear it." Emily brushed Spencer's hair to the side before wrapping her arm back around Spencer's body. The architect then lightly kissed the junction between her girlfriend's neck and shoulder, her lips lingering on Spencer's skin.

Spencer sighed contently and nestled her back against Emily's body.

"So, did I tell you how sexy you look in this lingerie?" Emily asked, sliding her hand up the thin fabric of the garment covering her girlfriend's body.

"You may have mentioned it last night." Spencer smiled to herself. "You really like it though?"

"I love it. I totally wasn't expecting that at all, but it was a pretty nice surprise to come home to. I've never had anyone wear lingerie for me before."

"Never?"

"Never. And I really couldn't ask for a more beautiful girl. I'm so lucky."

Spencer turned her head to look at Emily. As soon as their eyes met, Emily leaned over and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's. Once the kiss was broken Spencer laid her head back down on the pillow, resuming their spooning position.

It was only a few minutes later that Spencer's stomach growled softly, yet audibly.

"Hungry?" Emily chuckled as she kissed Spencer's neck again.

"Maybe a little."

"I can go grab us some food. And my mom sent some coffee with me. I promise I'll go grocery shopping later. I know my fridge and cabinets are pretty bare."

"You wouldn't mind going out?"

"Not at all. I'll only be gone a few minutes. You can put some coffee on, it'll be ready by the time I get back."

"Okay."

Emily slipped her arm out from underneath Spencer's body, then rolled over on to her opposite side to get out of bed, but Spencer also rolled over and clung tightly to Emily, preventing her from getting up.

"Just five more minutes first." Spencer said.

"You know, I'm not used to being the little spoon." Emily laughed.

"Do you like it?" Spencer asked.

"It feels different, but it's nice."

* * *

When Emily returned from the coffee shop later that morning, she got out of her car and was on her way to her front door when she noticed her neighbor, Gwen, stepping out of her next door apartment.

"Hey, Emily." Gwen said, walking toward the architect.

"Hey. How are ya?" Emily smiled.

"Pretty good." Gwen said, giving Emily a hug. "It's nice to see you back in town."

"Thanks. I'm glad to be home." Emily said, returning the embrace. "I love my parents, but it's nice to be back at my own place."

"Are you back for good?" Gwen asked as they separated.

"Yep, I sure am. I got back last night."

"That's great. Picking up some breakfast, huh?" Gwen motioned to the bag from the coffee shop in Emily's hand.

"Yeah. Usually, I would prefer to cook breakfast for Spencer, but since I just got back I have like no food in my apartment."

"Well, I'm sure you had better things to do last night than grocery shop."

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "Spencer picked me up at the airport and she had already bought stuff to make me dinner so I didn't even have to cook when I got home."

"That's so cute. I'm guessing you and Spencer had a pretty good night? It sure sounded like it last night anyway." Gwen laughed.

"Wha...what do you mean?" A puzzled expression crossing Emily's face.

"I mean your bedroom is right on the other side of mine and…you guys weren't exactly very quiet. From what I heard from Spencer, it sounded like you were definitely doing something very right." Gwen raised her eyebrows suggestively at Emily.

"Oh my God." Emily's face instantly flushed a deep shade of red. "You...you could hear us..." She looked away from Gwen and glued her eyes to the ground. "I'm so sorry...I uh..."

"Don't be sorry." Gwen placed her hand on Emily's shoulder. "It's cool."

"Was that the first time you've ever heard me...you know..." Emily nervously ran her hand through her hair, still desperately avoiding eye contact with her neighbor.

"Yeah." Gwen nodded. "Let me tell you, after hearing all the noise Spencer was making, I admit, I actually almost regretted not hooking up with you when I had the chance. Obviously, you know what you're doing."

Emily squeezed her eyes closed and placed her hand over her forehead as her skin reddened even more.

"I can't believe we were that loud...God, this is so embarrassing." Emily fiddled with the paper bag in her hand.

"Hey, being a good lover is definitely nothing to be embarrassed about, babe." Gwen laughed. "Was last night your first time with Spencer?"

"No. We slept together before I left for Texas. Our first time was actually the night before I left. I had no idea she wanted to, but she said she was ready and everything just sort of went from there. It was perfect for both of us."

"Aww. You guys seem so sweet together. I'm sure she was really excited to have you home last night. And it must have felt so nice for you knowing that you had someone to come home to."

"For sure." Emily nodded. "I just...I love Spencer so much, you know? I can't really explain it, I just do."

"That's great." Gwen smiled. "I bet you don't even miss having a different girl every night, do you?"

"Not even one little bit. I haven't had a girlfriend in such a long time that I honestly forgot how good it feels being fully committed to one person. While I was away, we talked all the time, she visited me, I flew home for a couple of days, it was a tough few months, but we made it through."

"I'm really happy for you. You're too sweet and way too nice to be a player. You've got so much to offer. Just because one incredibly dumb girl didn't appreciate you, doesn't mean others won't, I'm glad you finally realized that."

"Thank you." Emily smiled. "Well, I should probably head in. Spencer's waiting for me. I'll see you later."

"Sure. We should make some time to get together now that you're back. I'd love to catch up."

"Yeah. That'd be great. Let me know when you're free. We'll plan something."

"Okay. Tell Spencer I said hello."

"Will do."

When Emily reentered her apartment, she found Spencer in the kitchen, still wearing the lingerie she had bought. As Spencer poured coffee into the two mugs on the countertop, Emily's eyes slowly wandered up and down her body, the garment covered Spencer's backside, but nothing more. Emily walked over to the counter where her girlfriend was standing. She set down the bag she was holding and wrapped her arms around Spencer's body from behind.

"Glad you're back." Spencer smiled to herself as Emily kissed her cheek.

Spencer happily turned around to face Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect.

"The coffee smells good." Emily said.

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded. "Your mom sent you home with some good stuff. I love French vanilla."

"So do I. It's my favorite." Emily slid her hands down Spencer's body and clasped her fingers together, just above the small of the brunette's back.

"You know, now that you're home, you and I can play house all the time." Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and kissed her.

"Sounds good to me." Emily said before capturing Spencer's lips with her own once again.

After a few moments, Spencer took both mugs of coffee into the living room and set them down on the table.

"What did you get to eat?" Spencer asked.

"I got us some doughnuts." Emily said, opening the bag as she sat down on the couch. "This one's for you, chocolate with sprinkles." She handed the pastry to her girlfriend.

"My favorite kind." Spencer smiled.

"I know." Emily said. "That's why I got it."

Spencer then sat down across Emily's lap, leaning her back against the armrest of the couch. Emily took her own doughnut from the bag and took a large bite.

"This is so good." Emily said. "My mom barely let me eat any junk food while I was home."

"Aw, you poor thing." Spencer laughed. "Could you hand me my coffee?"

"Sure." Emily reached forward, picked up one of the mugs and handed it to Spencer. "So...when I was on my way in, I ran into Gwen in the parking lot..."

"And..." Spencer said casually, raising her mug to her lips.

"She said to tell you hello. We talked for a few minutes and she mentioned that last night...she sort of…heard us...in bed..."

Spencer's eyes widened and she involuntarily spit out some of her coffee, which landed on Emily's shirt, just below her shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Spencer lifted the bottom hem of her babydoll toward the fresh stain. "That's gonna stain."

"No." Emily took Spencer's hand in her own. "I won't let you ruin your nice, new lingerie. It's just a t shirt, I'll wash it, it'll be fine. No big deal."

Emily reached up and ran her hand down the stain so that the fabric would soak up the remaining liquid that was dripping down her chest.

"I can't believe she could hear us...was she like pissed or..."

"Not at all. She wasn't upset, but I guess we should probably try to keep it down a little."

"I can try, but my being loud isn't exactly my fault, now is it?"

"Well, I suppose I may have had a little something to do with it." Emily smirked, placing her arm around Spencer's thigh and pulling her closer.

"I'm glad we agree then. I don't have any other plans for the day, maybe later we can practice being quiet."

"I'd be down for that." Emily said, a sly grin creeping across her lips.

"Good." Spencer placed her coffee mug down on the table, wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and pressed her lips to her cheek.

* * *

It was late on Sunday evening, when Peter walked into Spencer's bedroom.

"Good, you're still awake."

"Hey, dad." Spencer said, putting down the book she was reading. "Everything okay?"

"Of course. I just wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"We're still on for the Phillies' home opener on Wednesday, right?" Peter asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Just like every year. I wouldn't miss it."

"Good. So, it turns out that my brother won't be able to make it down this year, so I have an extra ticket. I thought maybe if Emily was free, she might want to join us. Does she like baseball?"

"She loves baseball. And I'd love for her come with us." Spencer said excitedly. "Thanks, dad." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her father. "I'll call and tell her not to make plans."

"Great." Peter said, returning the embrace. "Don't stay up too late."

"I won't."

"Okay. Goodnight, sport." Peter said as he stood up.

"Night."

Once Peter had left the room, Spencer reached over to the nightstand for her phone. She selected Emily's contact and waited as the phone began ringing. The phone only rang a few times before Emily picked up.

"Hey, Spence."

"Hey. You busy right now?"

"Nope. Just watching some TV. It's kind of late though, what are you up to?"

"I was just reading before bed. But, I'm calling because I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in going to the Phillies' home opener on Wednesday with my dad and I? My uncle usually goes with us, but he can't make it this year, so we have an extra ticket."

"I'd love to go, but it's okay for you to miss school?"

"It's fine. I don't actually skip the whole day, I go for the first couple of periods, my dad works a half day and I meet him at his office. We always make it to the ball park just in time to get food and watch the opening ceremonies."

"Your dad's okay with you asking me?"

"It was his idea. He just told me my uncle couldn't come and to see if you wanted to."

"Absolutely. I'd love that. I went last year by myself. It's so much more fun when you have someone to go with."

"You were there? We could have run into each other and never realized it."

"I doubt it. If I had seen you before, believe me, I'd remember. There's no way I ever would have been able to forget."

"Aw, Em. You're sweet."

"So are you. That's one of the many, many things I love about you."

"Thanks." Spencer couldn't help but smile. "Promise you'll keep the whole day free because we always go out for an early dinner after the game."

"You got it. I'm yours for the whole day and I promise to be on my best behavior for your dad."

"You always are. I think I'm gonna get to bed, but I'll text you in the morning."

"Sounds good. I love you."

"I love you too. Night, Em."

"Night, Spence. Sleep tight."


	79. Chapter 79

It was mid-morning on Monday. Emily had been sitting at her kitchen table, eating breakfast when her phone rang. She stood up, quickly walked into her bedroom and picked her phone up from the nightstand next to her bed. She looked at the screen and didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Emily?" A female voice responded on the other end.

"Yes. This is Emily."

"I don't know if you remember me, but this is Ashley Marin."

"Ms. Marin, of course I remember. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'm finally ready to do some remodeling around my house and I'm hoping that you would still be available for the job."

"Absolutely. What all did you decide to have done?"

"I'd like to redo my master bathroom and my patio and do a little landscaping in the backyard."

"Sure. I can do that. How about if we schedule a consultation so I can take a look at what I'm working with, we can go over some samples, you can pick out what you like and I'll write you up an estimate."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"No problem. When would be a good time to meet with you?"

"I know it's short notice, but I have the day off tomorrow, are you free at all?"

"Sure. How's tomorrow morning around...say nine work for you?"

"That's perfect. I'll see you then."

* * *

That afternoon, Alison, Aria, Hanna, Mona and Spencer all met outside in the court yard for lunch.

"Hey, guys." Spencer said, sitting down next to Hanna.

"We haven't seen you all weekend..." Alison glanced over at Spencer.

"Sorry. Emily and I were just kinda busy..."

"Yeah, I bet you were pretty busy." Hanna laughed, elbowing Spencer in the ribs. "I think we can give you a free pass this time, since Emily did just come back. Did you guys even get out of bed the whole weekend?"

"For a little while." Spencer smirked.

"So are you gonna tell us about it or what?" Alison asked.

"Yeah. How'd Miss Fix It like the lingerie we picked out?" Hanna placed her hand on Spencer's shoulder. "I bet you totally had her drooling all over herself, didn't you?"

"You wore lingerie for her?" Mona said. "What did you wear?"

"I got this purple and black babydoll with matching panties…it had a little bit of lace and the top was almost see-through…just the way she looked at me...no one's ever looked at me that way before."

"Aw. That's great, Spence." Aria said. "I'm happy for you guys."

"So are you gonna give us any of the dirty details, or just the boring stuff?" Alison said sarcastically.

"Well, what do you wanna know, exactly?"

"What's Emily really like in bed? You guys have done it a few times now, you're probably past being caught up in all of that romantic BS and now you can down to the good, dirty stuff." Alison said. "Not to mention Emily's slept with lot of girls, there's gotta be something to all of that experience, right? Unless she's one of those people who totally suck in bed, but think they're great. Have you had to fake it yet?"

Spencer rolled her eyes and ignored Alison's comment regarding Emily's past sexual partners. Though, it was a subject that used to bother Spencer, as she furthered her relationship with the architect, she found that Emily's past mattered less and less.

"Emily's not bad at all. She definitely knows exactly what to do and I like her being romantic with me. That doesn't have to change just because it's not the first time anymore. And by the way, I've never had to fake it. She usually even makes sure that I finish first."

"That's sweet." Mona said. "She sounds like a keeper to me."

"At least you're doing something right. Make her work for it." Alison said. "Make sure you get off first. That's what's important."

"I don't insist that things go that way." Spencer glanced at Alison. "I'm not that selfish, that's just usually how things have gone since we started sleeping together."

"So, have you guys been starting to get more adventurous?" Hanna smirked.

"Um, a little, I guess."

"Are you the one taking charge or do you usually let Emily handle that?" Mona asked.

"Both. It depends. I like to dominate during foreplay, but when things really start to get going, she usually takes control. I think she likes it that way and I'm not complaining."

"That's pretty hot." Mona said. "It's nice being in control sometimes, but there's just something so hot about them taking charge."

"Totally." Hanna agreed. "And I don't know what's gotten into Caleb lately, but he's really stepped up his oral game. Like seriously, he's so much better."

"So is Noel. They must have taken the same class or something." Aria chimed in. "I mean he was decent before, but lately, he's just been so much more passionate. And even a lot sweeter too. I don't know what's changed, but I like it."

"You think you and Emily might try some new things since she's finally home and you'll have a lot more alone time?" Hanna suggestively raised her eye brows at Spencer.

"New, like what?"

"I don't know, lots of things, like some different positions or you could always try using toys. Get her to wear a strap on. I'm sure that'd be a lot fun for both of you."

Spencer stared down at the table as a dark shade of red crept over her face and neck.

"What are you embarrassed about?" Hanna asked. "Toys can be fun. Lots of people use them. Have you honestly never thought about Emily in a strap on?"

"Well...I..."

"You totally have." Hanna teased, poking Spencer in the ribs with her index finger. "Don't lie to me."

"Okay, I have thought about it a couple of times...just out of curiosity…" Spencer's skin flushed even more and she sunk down into her seat. "I mean, I'd be up for trying it, but I don't know if Emily's into that..."

"That's why you have to tell her." Alison rolled her eyes. "How else are you supposed to get what you want?"

"Well…how do I bring it up? I don't even know if she's ever worn a-"

"She has." Hanna, Mona, Alison and Aria all spoke in unison, very much to Spencer's surprise.

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What makes you guys so sure? Has she mentioned something to any of you or..."

"She doesn't have to say anything." Alison said. "In case you haven't noticed, Emily's kind of a stud..."

"Oh, we've all noticed." Hanna laughed.

"Anyway." Alison continued. "I'd find it pretty hard to believe that she's never fucked a girl with a strap on before. I'd be honestly surprised if she hasn't."

"I don't know that I would have said it quite like that..." Aria rolled her eyes. "But, I actually agree with Ali."

"All I'm saying is that she's been with a bunch of girls, I'd bet my life that at least one of them was into toys." Alison shrugged.

"She's got a point. And you did say that Emily likes to be dominant during sex, so I could see her being into that." Mona added.

"We could go to that sex shop just outside Philly and help you pick something out." Hanna offered.

"Thanks, but I think I should probably talk to Emily before I just jump into something like this."

"You'll definitely be jumping ON something, if ya know what I mean." Hanna laughed.

"Oh God." Spencer covered her eyes as her skin reddened again.

"Well, if you want someone to go pick out toys with, just let me know. I'm totally up for it." Hanna said.

"Thanks." Spencer uncovered her eyes, though her cheeks were still tinted pink. "I'll let you know."

"Until then, do you wanna come shopping with us after school on Wednesday?" Hanna asked. "We're all gonna hit up Bloomingdale's. They're finally supposed to be getting the new Tory Burch line in."

"The prints and colors are to die for." Mona gushed.

"That sounds like fun, but I can't make it. I'm leaving school early so Emily and I can go to the Phillies' game with my dad Wednesday afternoon."

"You're gonna waste all afternoon at a hockey game when there's shopping to be done?" Mona asked.

"Baseball." Spencer corrected. "And this is the first real opportunity for my dad and Emily to start to get to know each other and bond. There's no way I'm passing on that."

"I guess we can't blame you." Aria smiled. "I know how much you want your dad and Emily to get along."

"And it is kind of cute that you guys all get to bond over sports. I mean sweating in the sun all afternoon isn't exactly my idea of a fun time, but I'm sure it'll be fun for them." Hanna said. "I'm glad your dad's finally giving Emily the chance she deserves."

"So am I. You have no idea. I've waited so long for this."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Emily waited in her car outside of the school for Spencer to come out. After about ten minutes, Emily spotted her girlfriend walking out of the building with Hanna as they both headed toward the car. Emily opened her car door and stepped out to greet her girlfriend.

"Hey, Em." Spencer smiled brightly, walking over to her girlfriend.

"Hey." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer. "Hey, Hanna. How are you?"

"Good." Hanna smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Emily. "I'm glad you're finally back."

"Thanks. Me too...so Hanna, I talked to your mom today…"

"Did you see her at the bank?"

"No, she called me. She wants to hire me to do some work around your house."

"That's awesome. I didn't know she was going to call you. When do you start?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet. I'm meeting with her tomorrow morning for a consultation, then we'll go from there."

"Looks like we'll be hanging out at your house for a while." Spencer said.

"Fine with me."

"Oh and Spence, I talked to my mom today and I decided that I'm gonna have my bike shipped up here."

"Really? I can't wait to ride with you again. I had so much fun in Texas."

"Wouldn't it be cheaper to just buy a new bike? There's a bike shop by my house." Hanna said.

"It's not a regular bike, it's a motorcycle." Spencer said. "A really, really hot motorcycle."

"You didn't tell me she had a motorcycle." Hanna looked over at Spencer.

"I thought I did?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, as soon as it gets here, I'll let you ride it, if you want." Emily said.

"Is it scary?" Hanna asked.

"Not at all, it's a lot of fun." Emily folded her arms over her chest. "I'm a good rider."

"She is." Spencer nodded. "It's even better because you get to sit right up against her and hold on to all of this." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's body.

"I can't say I'd mind that." Hanna smiled, linking her arm around Emily's elbow. "Until your bike gets here, you think we could convince you to give us a ride home in that sexy Prius of yours?"

"I've never heard of a Prius being called a sexy car." Emily laughed.

"I don't think the car matters, as long as the driver is sexy." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's stomach and kissed her. "So…how about that ride home?"

"You got it."

* * *

The next morning Emily showed up at the Marin house just before nine a.m. She rang the doorbell and waited patiently. After a minute or two, Ashley answered.

"Hi, Emily. Come on in."

"Hi, Ms. Marin." Emily said, following Ashley inside.

"Thanks for coming. I was just making coffee. Can I get you some?"

"Sure. That would be great. Thank you."

"Why don't you go ahead and have a seat?" Ashley motioned to the kitchen island.

Emily pulled out one of the chairs and sat down as Ashley poured two mugs of coffee.

"Do you take sugar or cream in your coffee?"

"Yes, ma'am. Just a little of both, please."

"Emily, I told you before," Ms. Marin turned around to face the architect. "The formality isn't necessary. I appreciate it, but you can call me Ashley. I'd prefer it."

"I'm sorry. I completely forgot." Emily looked around the kitchen, admiring the décor. "You have a very beautiful house, did you decorate it yourself?"

"I did." Ashley said, adding a touch of cream and sugar to both mugs. "When I was pregnant with Hanna and we first moved in here, I spent countless hours decorating and hunting for all of the best pieces. I never had a job outside of the house until I got divorced, so before then I was always focused on making sure everything was perfect around here."

Ashley then stepped over to the island and set one of the mugs down in front of Emily. "My ex husband never really appreciated it though."

"Unfortunately, most men usually don't appreciate that sort of thing."

"That's true, I guess." Ashley said as she took a seat next to the architect.

"But, it doesn't mean that it isn't important." Emily smiled softly. "I know that first hand. My dad is in the military, so he was away a lot when I was a kid. My mom never worked outside of our home, but she did so much to keep up with the house and to take of care of me. That in itself was a full time job. I'm sure it was the same for you. Not nearly enough people realize how much housewives actually do."

"Thank you. It's nice that someone understands."

"Oh, no need to thank me. I'm just being honest." Emily said as she opened the folder she had brought with her. "Now, I brought a copy of my résumé, my references and my portfolio. I brought a bunch of photos of bathrooms and landscaping I've done."

"Great. Let's see." Ashley began looking over the résumé as she raised her coffee mug to her lips. Emily also took a drink from her mug, sitting silently, trying to gauge Ashley's reaction.

"You know, this is a pretty impressive résumé. And this portfolio...no wonder you've been so busy. You've done some beautiful work."

"Thank you. I've worked really hard these past few years to get myself established. It wasn't easy, but I think I've gotten past the toughest part."

"I think you're probably right. And I was thinking, since I'm already having some work done outside, do you think it'd be possible to replace the fence too? I noticed some of the panels are rotting and it's starting to lean a little bit."

"Absolutely. I've got a few connections; I can get you a fence kit pretty cheap. It'll be super quick and easy to install. I'll paint it, it'll look great. You'll love it."

"That would be wonderful."

"I also brought you a bunch of samples for bathroom stuff we can go over. Would you mind if I took a look at the bathroom so I can get an idea of the space?"

"Follow me." Ashley stood up and walked toward the staircase with Emily following behind.

They walked through the master bedroom and into the attached bathroom.

"Oh, wow. You've got a really nice sized bathroom here. What exactly did you have in mind to change?"

"All of it. I just want to revamp the whole thing. I'm ready for a complete make over."

"Awesome. Now, are you much of a bath person at all?"

"Definitely. I love coming home after a long day, pouring a glass of wine and taking a nice relaxing bath. It's one of my favorite things."

"In that case, how would you feel about doing away with the shower bathtub combination you have and separating them? Maybe do a smaller corner shower and then that'll leave more space for a nice big Jacuzzi tub adjacent to it."

"That sounds fantastic. I've always wanted a Jacuzzi tub."

"Great. I've got some nice tile samples that I think would look beautiful in here too."

"I can't wait to go through them."

"Why don't we head back downstairs and take a look? You can pick out what styles you like, then when I go home, I'll sketch out something for you and come back to take official measurements."

"I'm so glad I was able to catch you before you took another job. Hanna told me you just got back from Texas, so I called you as soon as possible."

"I'm glad you did. Bathroom remodels are one of favorite things to do."

"I'm sure I'm in good hands, then. So how was your job in Texas?" Ashley asked as she and Emily exited the bathroom and headed toward the stairs.

"It was pretty good. I liked it, but it was working on a much bigger scale than I'm used to. I'd rather work on residential-type projects. It's more personal that way. I like getting to work directly with my clients. It's nice seeing their reactions on the finished project. It's really rewarding to me and I'm kind of a people person."

"I can tell. No wonder Hanna's always talking about you."

"Hanna talks about me?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah. All the time. She thinks you and Spencer make the cutest couple." Ashley glanced over her shoulder at Emily as they reentered the kitchen.

"I'm glad she thinks so. Hanna's really sweet. I like her a lot. She's been so supportive of my relationship with Spencer."

Ashley and Emily both sat down at the kitchen island again.

"So...do you think I could maybe ask you a non-work related question?" Emily said, her eyes meeting Ashley's. "I mean, if you'd prefer to just stick to a strictly professional relationship, I completely understand."

"You can ask me what ever you want. Just because I'm hiring you to do some work for me, doesn't mean our relationship has to be as overly rigid and serious as the relationships you've probably had with some other clients. I know you had a pretty rough time with Peter Hastings, but I promise you, I'm nothing like him. I don't want you to feel nervous working here."

"Thanks a lot..." Emily hesitated a little. "…Ashley."

"You're welcome, honey. Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, Spencer invited me to go to the Phillies' game with her and her dad tomorrow. I'm going, but, this'll be the first time I've really spent any time with Mister Hastings. I just want to make a good impression..." Emily anxiously played with her own fingers. "But, I'm nervous...he and I did have a short talk and we agreed to kind of give each other another chance, but I'm still not any less nervous. You've known the Hastings a lot longer than I have, do you think there's something I can do to really get Mister Hastings to like me? It's important to Spencer, but I think it might be even more important to me."

"You know what I think?" Ashley smiled. "I think you're a really sweet kid who obviously cares a lot about people. I understand that your personal relationship with Peter got off to a rocky start, but if you two already agreed to give each other another chance, that shows he's willing to move forward. Try to forget about what's already happened and just be yourself. Everything will be fine. There's a reason that Spencer likes you so much, her dad will see it too."

"Thank you. I really hope so."

 

 


	80. Chapter 80

The next morning Emily was in her bedroom getting ready for the Phillies' game when she received a text message from Spencer.

Hey, I'll be getting ready to leave school soon, don't forget to pick me up. :)

Awesome. :) I'm just getting dressed, I'll be on my way in a few minutes.

Emily slipped her phone into the pocket of her jeans and walked over to her closet. She leafed through her clothes until she came across her favorite Ryan Howard white and red pinstriped Phillies' jersey. She took the jersey from the hanger and slipped it on, stepping over to her mirror as she buttoned it up. Emily then stared into the mirror and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out before pulling her thick, raven locks into a ponytail. Emily took one last look in the mirror as she inhaled and then exhaled deeply.

"Don't screw this up, Em." Emily spoke aloud to herself. "Just be yourself. You'll be okay."

Emily then walked out of her bedroom, grabbed her keys from the dining room table and headed out the door.

* * *

Emily drove her car through the school's parking lot and up to the curb in front of the building. After just a few minutes Spencer came out of the school and got into Emily's car.

"Hey." Spencer leaned over and kissed her girlfriend. "How are you?"

"Good. You ready for the game?"

"Yep. My dad said to head down to his office and we'll go over to the stadium."

"Great."

"Just give me a second so I can put my jersey on." Spencer said, pulling a red jersey from her bag.

"You're a Ryan Howard fan too, huh?" Emily said, noticing the name on Spencer's jersey.

"Definitely. He's always been one of my favorite Phillies."

Emily watched as Spencer began to unbutton her current shirt to reveal the thin, white spaghetti strap camisole she had on underneath.

"Forget the jersey, I'd be okay if you just wore that." Emily smirked.

Spencer laughed as she tossed her shirt into the backseat.

"Please, my dad would totally complain. He already bitched about my shorts being too short this morning."

"I don't think they're too short at all." Emily said, her eyes wandering up and down Spencer's legs. "By the way, I'm so glad it's finally spring time, you can wear shorts every day."

"Just try to focus on driving." Spencer smiled as she leaned forward and slipped her jersey on.

"You ready to go?"

"Ready when you are." Spencer nodded, reaching for her seat belt.

* * *

"Take a left at this next light. My parents' office is just a couple of blocks away."

"Okay." Emily nodded, staring straight ahead out the windshield.

Emily slowed the car down as she approached the light that was just changing yellow. Spencer glanced over at her girlfriend, who was sitting rigidly in her seat, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel tightly in her fists.

"Em?"

"Yeah, babe?" Shaking herself from her thoughts, Emily looked over at her girlfriend who was now grinning from ear to ear.

"What?" Emily said, a slightly confused look on her face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"That's the first time you've ever called me 'babe.'"

"You like it though? I've never really been one to use pet names very often…"

"I definitely like it a lot." Spencer said. "I think it's really cute."

"I'll keep that in mind." Emily said, focusing her eyes back on the road as the light turned green. "Was there something you wanted to say?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay. You seem really nervous."

"Me? Nervous? Are you kidding? I'm fine." Emily shrugged.

"Em, you've been stiff as a board and had a death grip on the steering wheel ever since we got to Philly. And you're kinda sweaty."

"Okay. Honestly, I am nervous." Emily stopped at the next red light and turned her head to look at Spencer. "This is the first time I'm hanging out with your dad, you know? I don't wanna screw it up."

"You won't. Don't worry." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on Emily's thigh. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself."

"I'm trying not to, but it's not that easy. I love you, I just want your dad to understand that." Emily placed her hand on top of Spencer's and laced their fingers together.

"He does. It took a while for him to wrap his mind around it, but he knows. You're really sweet, just relax and act how you normally do. That got me to fall for you."

"Thanks, Spence."

"My parents' office is just up the street, on the right. There's a parking lot behind the building."

When Emily parked her Prius, she and Spencer headed into the office, where they were greeted by the Hastings' secretary.

"Hi, Spencer." The secretary said, cheerfully. "Your mom and dad are both in your dad's office. You can go ahead in."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled at the woman and turned toward Emily.

Spencer placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and looked up into her girlfriend's eyes.

"Just relax, okay?" Spencer said. "Everything's gonna go great."

The brunette reached up and kissed the architect, then took her hand as they walked into Peter's office.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said. "Hi, Emily. It's nice to see you."

"You too. Always a pleasure."

"Are you girls excited for the game?" Veronica asked. "It looks like you'll have some beautiful weather."

"Definitely." Emily said. "How come you're not going, Missus Hastings? Not much of a baseball fan?"

"Oh not really. I can't say I know much about the game."

"Well, thank you very much for inviting me, Mister Hastings." Emily turned to Peter. "It was really nice of you to think of me."

"No problem. I can't wait to get to the stadium, it feels like it's been forever since I've been to the ballpark and I can't wait to get some food. I'm starving."

"Please don't over do it on the food today." Veronica looked over at her husband. "You can cheat a little, but don't completely throw out your diet."

"I'll be good. I'll even jog an extra mile tomorrow. But, right now we really should get going."

"Have a good time. I'll see you tonight." Veronica kissed her husband.

"Bye, mom." Spencer said.

"Bye, Missus Hastings."

"Bye, girls. Have fun. Spencer, please keep an eye on your father."

"I will, mom." Spencer laughed as she walked out of the office with her father and Emily.

"Would you like me to drive, Mister Hastings?" Emily asked as they walked out into the parking lot.

"I don't mind driving." Peter said.

"Okay." Emily nodded as they walked across the lot toward Peter's car.

When they approached the car, Emily stepped over to the front passenger side door.

"Here, let me get the door." Emily said, opening the car door for her girlfriend.

"You're off to a good start." Spencer said softly to Emily, before placing a kiss to her cheek. "Keep it up."

Emily smiled to herself as she opened the back door and got into the car.

* * *

When they got inside the stadium, Emily, Spencer and Peter all walked past the numerous food stands trying to decide what to eat.

"Dad, Em and I are gonna go over there and get some nachos." Spencer said, pointing to her right.

"All right. I'm going to get a cheese steak and a beer. Let me get you two some money..." Peter reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"Oh, no I got it." Emily said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Well...what do you say you at least let me buy you a beer?" Peter asked.

"Um, sure...that'd be great, actually." Emily smiled.

"What do you like?"

"I'm not picky. I'll have what ever you're having."

"Great. I'll head over your way as soon as I get my cheese steak."

"Okay. We'll wait for you." Spencer said. "Come on, Em." The brunette took her girlfriend's hand and they began walking toward another food stand.

"See you're all worried for nothing. My dad likes you. I told you everything would be okay."

"I'm glad everything seems to be going smoothly so far." Emily said as she looked up at the menu board behind the counter. "You want anything else besides nachos?"

"I kinda want a hot dog…"

"Me too. You can't go to a baseball game and not eat a hot dog." Emily laughed. "You wanna get a couple of hot dogs and split some nachos?"

"That sounds perfect. You know, I'm so glad that you could come with us." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's elbow and stared lovingly at the architect.

"Me too. I've got you, baseball, and delicious food. What more do I possibly need?"

Once Emily and Spencer paid for their food, they met Peter nearby, who was juggling a large cheese steak, French fries and two plastic cups of beer.

"Here, Emily." Peter said, handing one of the cups to the architect. "Do you like Guinness?"

"Yes, sir. I love Guinness. Dark beers are my favorite."

"Mine too." Peter agreed. "I think they have the best flavor. The light stuff just isn't as good."

"Not at all."

"So what do you say we head down to our seats?" Peter suggested.

"Where are we sitting?" Emily asked.

"We're in section D." Spencer said.

"D? Isn't that like directly behind home plate?" Emily said.

"Sure is. And third row back too." Peter said. "I've had these same seats for fifteen years. Once I finally got ones this good, I was never willing to give them up."

"Wow. I don't blame you." Emily said as she and Spencer followed Peter toward their section.

When they reached their row, Peter went in first. Emily took a step to the side so that Spencer could go in next.

"Why don't you sit in the middle?" Spencer asked.

"I uh...I..." Emily hesitated.

"You'll be fine." Spencer said, confidently, placing her hand on Emily's back.

"O...okay." Emily took a deep breath as she walked into the row and sat down next to Peter.

"This is awesome." Emily said, settling into the comfortable, spacious padded seat. "I've never sat this close before. Last year I bought my ticket so late that I had to sit all the way up in the nosebleeds."

"Well, I'm sure this game will be a lot better." Spencer said.

* * *

It was a few innings into the game, everyone had finished eating and they were all contently watching the game, as the Phillies had taken an early two run lead.

"So Emily, how's work going?" Peter asked, taking a sip from his beer cup. "Are you staying pretty busy since you got back from Texas?"

"I'm trying to. I just took on a job for Ashley Marin, so that's my latest project."

"Oh yeah? Do you have a lot of work ahead of you for that?"

"I don't think it'll be too bad. It's a full bathroom remodel and some outside work. It shouldn't take terribly long to do."

"Did you get your plans finished yet?" Spencer asked.

"Just about. I have a little bit more to do. I'm meeting with Ashley tomorrow evening to show her my drawings. Hopefully she'll like them and then I can start working as soon as possible."

"That's awesome. Your regular crew is going to be helping you, right?" Spencer asked, placing her and on Emily's thigh.

"Uh huh. They're all ready to get started."

"Speaking of work, Spencer had mentioned a while ago that you were looking for some office space, are you still?" Peter asked.

"I am. My apartment's getting pretty cluttered. I like working from home, but sometimes I get distracted pretty easily. I could definitely use some real work space."

"There are a few nice places between Rosewood and Philly that I pass on my way to work. I'm sure one of them would be suitable for you."

"Thanks, Mister Hastings. I'll have to look into it. I can finally afford to rent something nice."

"You can even do some more advertising." Spencer said. "Your business is really taking off. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks. You still wanna go office hunting with me?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I do."

Spencer then took Emily's hand and lifted her arm, placing it around her shoulder. Emily quickly glanced over at Peter to gauge his reaction, since he didn't seem to mind the slight PDA, neither did Emily.

* * *

A little later that afternoon.

"I'm going to go get another beer." Peter said. "You two want anything?"

"Not right now." Spencer said.

"How about you, Emily? You want another beer or anything?"

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine."

"Okay. I'll be right back then." Peter stood up, squeezed past Emily and Spencer and out of the row.

"You're doing so great with my dad." Spencer gently rubbed her hand up and down Emily's knee. "You guys are sure becoming best friends."

Emily laughed a little.

"Spence, he's your father, therefore he'll never be my friend. It's just the law of nature, but we can still be friendly."

"I'll take that. Anything is better than how things used to be."

"True. I told you I'd never give up." Emily leaned over and kissed the side of Spencer's head as Chase Utley stepped into the batter's box.

"So you think Utley's gonna have a good year?" Emily asked.

"If he plays anything like last year, he'll be great. Last year he ended with a batting average just under three hundred and an OBP of three thirty nine. He's been one of the most consistent for the Phillies."

"Do you have any idea how attracted to you I am right now?" Emily laughed. "I've never dated a girl who I could really talk sports with."

"Never?"

"Nope, I mean a couple knew some of the basics and would try, but I knew it was just to please me. They weren't really interested."

A few minutes later, a vendor carrying a mountain of cotton candy walked down the stairs toward the section where Emily and Spencer were sitting.

"Oh! I want some cotton candy." Spencer said, reaching for her bag, which was underneath her seat.

"I got it." Emily raised her hand, drawing the vendor's attention.

Emily then reached into her pocket for her wallet.

"But, you already bought the hot dogs and the nachos..."

"So?" Emily shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"But…"

"Babe, I got it." Emily opened her wallet. "It's cool."

"How many?" The vendor asked as he approached the couple.

"Just one." Emily replied.

"You got it. That's five bucks." The man said, handing Spencer the candy.

"Thanks." Emily handed the money to the vendor.

"Thanks, Em. You want some?" Spencer said, opening the bag.

"Just a small bite."

Spencer pulled off a large chunk and handed it to her girlfriend.

"I said small." Emily chuckled.

"Like you're not gonna eat it." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I thought you said you didn't want any more food." Peter said when he returned to his seat.

"I didn't, but then the cotton candy guy came down here and I had to get some."

"You always did have a sweet tooth." Peter laughed. "You get that from me."

"I know that's definitely true, dad." Spencer laughed as she stuffed some more candy into her mouth.

* * *

The game had now come down to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Phillies found themselves down by one run with two outs and a runner on first. The entire crowd was on their feet as Ryan Howard stepped up to the plate.

"Come on." Peter groaned as Howard swung and missed at the first pitch.

Everyone watched anxiously as the pitcher began his wind up again. The ball flew toward home plate at nearly one hundred miles per hour. Howard began his swing, making contact with the ball as it crossed over home plate. The crowed cheered as the ball flew through the air, quickly making its way toward the fence. The center fielder ran back and at the wall jumped up as high as he could, but the ball was out of reach and landed over the wall into the second row of seats. The stadium erupted in even louder cheers from the crowd as Howard rounded the bases and met his teammates at home plate to be congratulated on his game winning home run.

Emily turned to Spencer and hugged her, lifting her up off of the ground in the process. She then turned to Peter and due to the sudden rush of excitement and emotion, Peter and Emily involuntarily high-fived each other.

"What a finish." Peter cleared his throat and re-composed himself. "What a great game."

"I can't believe it." Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily again. "That was amazing."

"What do you say we go celebrate with dinner?" Peter said. "Emily, you can join us, right?"

"Sure. I've got the whole evening free."

"So, the usual pizza and wings?" Spencer asked.

"It wouldn't be tradition if we didn't." Peter smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

Later that evening.

Peter, Emily and Spencer arrived back at the Hastings' office.

"Mister Hastings, thank you so much for inviting me this afternoon. I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you could make it. We'll have to get together again soon."

"I'd love to."

"Are you still planning on coming to Melissa's wedding? It's just a few weeks away, you know."

"Yes, sir." Emily nodded. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Good...Spence, I assume you're riding home with Emily?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go over to her apartment for a while."

"All right. I'll see you later then. Just don't stay out too late."

"I'll have her home early." Emily said. "I promise."

"It was nice to see you again." Peter said as he extended his hand to Emily.

"You too. Thanks again for inviting me." Emily took a firm grip on Peter's hand and gave it two strong shakes.

 

When Emily and Spencer arrived back at Emily's apartment, the architect plopped down on the couch.

"Hey, thanks for being so amazing with my dad today." Spencer said sincerely. "You really don't know how much that means to me."

"Spence, you know I'm always gonna do whatever it takes…come here." Emily patted her lap and waited for Spencer to join her on the couch.

Spencer happily sat down across Emily's lap, wrapping her arms around the architect's neck.

"We had a pretty good day, didn't we?" Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer's thighs, pulling her close.

"We did. It was perfect." Spencer leaned down and kissed Emily.

Spencer opened her mouth when she felt Emily's tongue brush against her bottom lip. Spencer placed her hands on either side of the architect's face as Emily's tongue slipped into her mouth. Spencer sighed and closed her eyes as Emily's tongue gently massaged her own. Emily slowly slid her hands up underneath Spencer's jersey, causing goose bumps to rise all over the brunette's skin.

After a few minutes, Emily and Spencer were interrupted by the sound of Emily's phone ringing from her pocket.

"Shit." Emily groaned, hesitantly breaking the kiss and pulling her phone from her pocket.

"Who is it?" Spencer asked.

"It's my mom." Emily said. "She always did have a knack for cock blocking me. It's like she somehow knows when I'm trying to get some."

Spencer laughed.

"You should really see what she wants. It might be important."

Emily nodded and accepted the call.

"Hi, mom…yeah the game was great...I just got home…"

As Emily continued to talk to her mother, Spencer undid the first few buttons on Emily's jersey and gently began kissing her neck. Emily leaned her head back as Spencer began sucking on her pulse point.

"Hey, mom…can I call you later…I have something I need to do...yeah I promise, I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning, I'll have time to talk…okay…love you too. Bye."

Emily then ended the call and tossed her phone onto the coffee table.

"You're such a tease." Emily said, staring Spencer in the eyes.

"Well, you wanna go to the bedroom and let me make it up to you?" Spencer smirked as she finished unbuttoning Emily's jersey.

"Yeah." Emily nodded excitedly, biting her lip. "Let's go."

 

 


	81. Chapter 81

"You know, we really should get up soon." Emily said, wrapping her arms around Spencer, placing her chin on the brunette's shoulder as she spooned her.

Spencer closed her eyes and practically melted into the warmth of Emily's hard, naked body pressed tightly against her back.

"We still have plenty of time." Spencer smiled to herself as she felt Emily's lips graze her neck. "I never expected you'd kick me out of bed, after everything I just did for you. I thought you were better than that." Spencer said sarcastically as she glanced over her shoulder at her girlfriend.

"Baby, you know I'd never kick you out." Emily sighed. "You know I don't want you to leave." She rolled over onto her back and stretched out her muscles. "I just wanna make sure I get you home on time. That's all."

"I know, I was just kidding. But, we still have a little time before I have to go." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's body and laid her head on the architect's chest. "I just really wish I could sleep over with you."

"So do I." Emily placed her arm around Spencer and gently ran her hand up and down the brunette's back. "But, it'll be summer time in a couple of months, maybe your dad won't be as strict about you coming home early then."

"Well, you would know all about coming early, wouldn't you?" Spencer laughed.

"Hey." Emily said, feigning offense. "A little harsh, don't you think? What have I ever done to you?...Except of course, give you really good orgasms."

"Well, you're a little cocky, aren't you?" Spencer laughed, her hand slowly moving up and down Emily's abdomen. "Again, I was just kidding, babe."

"Well, the way I see it, I did you a favor, you weren't even down there long enough for your neck to get sore. I was just trying to be polite."

"Oh, is that what you were doing? Well, I definitely appreciate your thoughtfulness then." Spencer yawned and tightened her grip around Emily's body. She placed a few light kisses over the architect's chest and closed her eyes as she laid her head back down.

"No, you can't fall asleep." Emily said as she also yawned. "Then we'll never get out of this bed."

"I wouldn't mind." Spencer smiled into Emily's chest. "Just a few minutes..."

"Fifteen more minutes, but then we really have to get up."

"Deal."

"Just try not to get too comfortable."

"It's way too late for that." Spencer nestled her face up against Emily's neck.

"I love you, Spence." Emily leaned down and kissed the top of Spencer's head.

"I love you too." Spencer said as she began to drift off.

* * *

The next evening.

Emily gathered up her sketches and a few catalogues full of samples. She then headed out the door and over to the Marin house.

When she arrived at the Marin's house, Emily rang the doorbell and waited. After a minute or so, the door opened and Emily was greeted by Hanna.

"Hi, Em. Come on in. My mom's upstairs. I'll go get her."

"Thanks, Hanna. What are you up to tonight?"

"I'm actually on my way over to Spencer's. We're gonna order some food and watch a movie or something."

"Cool. No boyfriend tonight, huh?" Emily asked.

"Nope. He has some computer project for school to do and Aria has a date, so it's just me and Spencer. You should come over when you're done here."

"You know, maybe I will stop over." Emily nodded, following Hanna into the kitchen.

"You better. Sit down, I'll go get my mom."

"Okay. Thanks." Emily pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen island and sat down.

After a few minutes, Hanna returned to the kitchen with her mother.

"Hi, Emily. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Ashley said.

"Oh, no problem."

"Mom, I'm going over to Spencer's."

"Okay. Have fun."

"And Em, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure." Emily nodded. "Tell Spencer I'll be over later."

"Okay. Bye." Hanna said as she turned and headed out of the kitchen.

"So, I brought you all kinds of catalogues to look through. Would you mind if I started by taking a few quick measurements, then I can be sure everything will fit nicely."

"Of course. Go right ahead."

"Great. While I do that, here are my drawings. I just did some pretty basic sketches of what I'm picturing for the layout of your new bathroom. Let me know if you like it, if not I can always make adjustments."

"I'll be right back." Emily handed her sketches and catalogues to Ashley as she stood up.

Emily then took her tape measurer that was clipped to her belt and headed out of the kitchen. Ashley then began looking over the sketches. The drawings incorporated the large bathtub and separate shower that she had discussed with Emily. The design was everything she had in mind for the remodel.

It was only a matter of a few minutes later that Emily reentered the room.

"The good news is that your bathroom should be able to accommodate just about any size tub I can order for you." Emily said as she sat back down, next to Ashley. "How do you feel about the sketches? Did you want me to do any modifications or…"

"Not at all. I love this. This is perfect."

"I'm so glad you like it." Emily smiled brightly.

"I can't wait until this is all finished. I know it'll look amazing."

"That's certainly what I'm hoping for."

"You know, it's so nice to finally be getting all of this done." Ashley glanced over at Emily. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Hanna and I aren't exactly the handiest of people..."

"I kinda had a feeling." Emily smiled. "But, that's okay. Everyone has their own strengths. Luckily, mine just happens to be construction and design."

"I'm glad to have found someone trustworthy to do the work. Since I'm not very well-versed in home repair, I didn't really even know where to start. There hasn't been a man around the house in such a long time, I miss having someone to take care of repairs…well among other reasons, if you know what I mean..."

"I completely understand." Emily laughed a little. "Don't worry. You just let me handle the construction part and as for the rest...we'll get you a brand new Jacuzzi tub with jets so strong that I guarantee you won't even miss having a man around." She punctuated her sentence with a wink.

"That sounds fantastic." Ashley blushed slightly.

"So, um...why don't you go ahead and flip through these catalogues and pick out the stuff you like."

Ashley opened the first catalogue which was filled with countertop, bathroom fixture and cabinet samples.

"All of these granite samples are gorgeous." Ashley said, flipping to the next page.

"Were you thinking of sticking to granite countertops?"

"Probably. I like what I have, but I was thinking maybe a new color would be nice…"

"Sure. It's nice to switch things up sometimes."

"So, how did the baseball game go yesterday?"

"It was great, actually. Mister Hastings was pretty cool. We all got along and Spencer was really happy so that made me really happy. Mister Hastings even officially asked me if I was coming to Melissa's wedding. He sounded like he actually wants me there."

"That's wonderful."

"Thank you for the advice, by the way. You were right, once I stopped worrying about every little thing and just acted like myself, I was fine."

"I'm glad everything worked out. I knew it would."

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily arrived at the Hastings' house in the pouring rain. She got out of her car and picked up a grocery bag from the passenger seat. She walked around the side of the house to the addition and knocked on the door as a flash of lightning lit up the sky followed by a loud clap of thunder. Upon hearing the knock at the door, Hanna and Spencer both jumped.

"Holy shit." Hanna said, exhaling heavily.

"Relax, it's only Emily. She said was coming." Spencer rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Hey. You jumped too." Hanna stood up and shoved Spencer forward.

Spencer turned the light on and opened one of the large, glass French doors.

"Get in here." Spencer said, grabbing Emily's hand and pulling her inside. "Why did you even bother knocking? You could have just come in. You're totally soaked."

"Yeah, this storm really came out of nowhere. It just started pouring."

"What took you so long? You texted me like a half hour ago saying you were leaving Hanna's."

"I stopped for snacks." Emily held up the bag in her hand.

"What did you get?" Hanna asked.

"Ice cream, potato chips and gummy worms."

"She's hot and brings snacks." Hanna said, taking the bag from Emily. "My God, Spence, talk about perfect girlfriends."

"I know." Spencer smiled. "She's pretty great, isn't she? But, first things first, let's go upstairs and get you a shirt that isn't drenched."

"Maybe I should just wait down here...I don't think your dad would want me in your bedroom."

"He's not home. Besides, Hanna's here. He wouldn't care if it was the three of us."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"I'm bringing the ice cream." Hanna said

"All right. Go grab some spoons from the kitchen and meet us upstairs."

Spencer and Emily then headed upstairs while Hanna walked off to the kitchen.

"Take this off." Spencer tugged at Emily's soaking wet shirt.

Emily nodded and began unbuttoning her shirt. When she reached the last button, Spencer slid her hands up over Emily's shoulders and lifted the shirt off, allowing it to fall heavily into a soggy heap on the floor next to the bed.

"That's so much better." Spencer smirked, her eyes wandering up and down Emily's body.

Spencer linked her index fingers through two of Emily's belt loops and pulled her close. She then slid her hands up over Emily's shoulders and pressed her lips to the architect's. Emily opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, her hands planting themselves around Spencer's waist and pulling her close. The kiss quickly became more and more heated as Emily's fingers tangled themselves into Spencer's hair.

"Em..." Spencer closed her eyes and groaned into the kiss when she felt Emily's tongue slip into her mouth.

"So, you guys gonna get on the bed or what?" Hanna said, appearing in the doorway as she shoveled a large spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Emily and Spencer quickly separated, their eyes darting to the doorway where Hanna was standing.

"I guess I don't get to watch then?" Hanna laughed.

Emily blushed, placing a hand on the back of her neck as she stared down at the floor.

"What are you embarrassed about?" Hanna said, looking over at Emily. "I only caught you guys making out. That's nothing compared to all the juicy details I get from Spencer."

"Juicy details?" Emily raised an eyebrow. "Like what? I'm half afraid to ask…"

"Don't be." Hanna said, casually. "I've only heard really good things."

"Oh, well, then, what have you heard, exactly?" Emily smirked.

"I've heard that you're pretty romantic and not to mention ridiculously studly when it comes to the bedroom."

"I am?" Emily questioned, using her index finger to point to her own chest.

"Oh, don't pretend like you're surprised." Spencer said. "And you." She turned to Hanna. "Just shut up and eat your ice cream."

"Were you gonna let me borrow a shirt?" Emily asked, looking at her girlfriend.

"Why the big hurry?" Hanna shrugged, stepping into the room.

"That I have to agree with her on." Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily's torso. "Shirts are way overrated. At least for you."

"Until your parents come home and find me half naked in your bedroom. Then I'll be dead for sure."

"All right, fine, just grab yourself a t shirt from the top right drawer over there." Spencer said.

"Thanks." Emily turned around and walked over to the dresser.

Hanna sat down on Spencer's bed, lifting another spoonful of ice cream to her mouth.

"You better not get that all over my bed." Spencer said, sitting down next to the blonde.

"I won't. Chill out." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"So, Em, you still thinking about getting another tattoo?" Spencer asked, her eyes wandering to the tattoo on Emily's shoulder.

"Sure, I'm thinking about it." Emily shut Spencer's dresser drawer and turned around, slipping on a white, Ralph Lauren v-neck t shirt. "But, I still have no idea what to get or where to put it."

"Well, I don't really know what you should get, but for what it's worth, you have really nice arms." Hanna said, casually. "And I think arm tattoos are kinda sexy, especially if you have a lot of muscle."

"Thanks for the compliment." Emily smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Let me know if you do decide to get another tattoo." Hanna said. "I'll totally come with. I've been thinking about maybe getting something pierced."

"Oh yeah? What?" Emily asked.

"Probably my belly button."

"That'd be cool." Spencer said. "I think you could pull it off."

"What about you, Spence?" Emily said. "I think a naval piercing would look awesome on you."

"Really?" Spencer asked, sounding surprised.

"Are you kidding? I'd love it."

"Have you ever had anything pierced before?" Spencer asked.

"Mm hm." Emily nodded.

"Your ears when you were a kid don't count." Hanna laughed. "We're talking like legit body piercings here."

"So am I." Emily said, matter-of-factly.

"What exactly have you had pierced?" Spencer stared at her girlfriend, curiously.

"I uh…used to have my nipples pierced."

"Shut up." Hanna said. "You did not."

"Are you serious?" Spencer asked.

"I'm totally serious. It was a few years ago. I was kind of going through that rebel-ish phase. I actually thought about getting my tongue pierced, but I knew my mom would kill me, so I went for something that she wouldn't be able to see."

"So...what does it feel like to have your nipples pierced?" Hanna asked.

"I liked it a lot. The piercings personally made me a lot more sensitive. And I definitely liked how they looked."

"But, your nipples aren't pierced anymore. Why'd you take them out?" Spencer asked.

"I was working on a project and one of the rings got caught through my shirt on a steel beam I was moving and it got ripped out. I ended up taking the other one out, just because I felt unbalanced only having one."

"Ouch. Did you like cry or anything when it got ripped out?" Hanna asked.

"No, I didn't cry. I just bit my tongue and kept working like nothing happened. But, it hurt really bad."

"God, I bet." Spencer said, sympathetically. "You ever thought about re-piercing them though?"

"I haven't given it much consideration. The last thing I want is to have the piercing ripped out again."

"Well, you don't have to wear rings." Hanna said. "You can always wear those little barbells. Those probably wouldn't get caught on stuff as easily."

"True. Would you be into that, Spence?"

"Uh, yeah. That'd be super hot."

"Well, in that case, maybe I'll give it some thought."

 

 


	82. Chapter 82

It was early on Friday morning when Emily arrived at the Marin house with her crew. She rang the doorbell and after only a few moments was greeted by Ashley.

"Morning, Ashley. How are you doing today?" Emily asked.

"Pretty well, thanks. How about you?"

"Not bad at all. Well, I should probably introduce you to my crew...this is Ben, Chris and Mike."

"It's nice to meet you all." Ashley shook each man's hand.

"I was thinking we'd start with the outside stuff since the weather is supposed to be nice these next couple of days."

"That sounds great. Well, I really hate to run, but I don't want to be late for work." Ashley picked up her purse from the hook next to the door.

"Have a good day." Emily said. "Don't worry about us, we'll take care of everything here."

"I know I'm in good hands." Ashley nodded. "I'll see you all later."

"Come on guys, let's get to work." Emily said, following Ashley out the door.

When they got outside, Ashley got into her car and drove off while Emily and her crew headed over to Emily's truck.

"Dude." Mike said, shoving Emily's shoulder.

"What?" Emily asked, confused.

"Why didn't you tell us that Ashley's a total MILF?" Mike said.

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Don't act like you don't think she's hot." Chris laughed. "I mean, I know you're into younger women, but you can't honestly say if you were single and she hit on you, you wouldn't be on that in a second."

"I know I would." Mike said. "And I didn't see a ring either. She single?"

"What guy checks to see if a woman's wearing a wedding ring?" Emily asked. "I thought that was just something straight women did when checking out men."

"Guys who don't wanna get their ass kicked by an angry husband check, right bud?" Ben laughed, placing his arm around Mike's shoulder.

"Exactly." Mike nodded. "So, you think I've got a chance?"

"With Ashley? No way, dude." Emily said. "You can't."

"Why not? You've got a girl. Why should you be the only one who gets to fuck all the hot clients?"

"Hey. Not cool. Spencer was never my client. Her parents were the clients, not her." Emily said, defensively.

"We'll, the rest of us would like to get some every once in a while, is my point." Mike said. "And Ashley is fine. What difference does it make to you if I try to get with her?"

"Dude, I care because I know you don't have any intention of dating her. You only want a hook up."

"Seriously? Before Spencer you hooked up with a ton of girls you never had any intention of dating."

"Yeah, but Ashley's a really nice lady and she's my girlfriend's best friend's mother, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd be on your best behavior around her and try not to act like a total pig."

"Fine. But, you owe me."

"What do you want?" Emily narrowed her eyebrows.

"You know a lot of other women. I want you to hook me up."

"I'll see what I can do. There have to be a few girls left in this town who don't know you." Emily laughed.

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Spencer parked her car on the street in front of the Marin house.

"Oh, hello, sexy." Spencer bit her bottom lip as she pulled her sun glasses down her nose and glanced across the yard where she spotted her girlfriend, who was wearing only a thin, white tank top, her skin glistening with sweat as she worked on installing the new picket fence around the perimeter of the yard.

Hanna's eyes wandered to each of the three shirtless men standing in the yard, then over to Emily.

"You know, it's kinda funny that out of these four workers, three of them are guys and yet Emily's the only one actually worth seeing shirtless." Hanna laughed.

"Can't argue with that, but isn't that whole 'dad bod' thing supposed to be hot for guys right now?" Spencer asked.

"Supposedly." Hanna flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "But, I'm not completely sold on that. Guys expect us to look perfect, so why shouldn't they?"

"Good point." Spencer nodded, opening her car door and stepping out.

Spencer and Hanna both retrieved their bags from the back seat of Spencer's Mercedes and headed through the yard toward the spot where Emily was standing.

"Hey, Spence. Hey, Han." Emily said, sticking the shovel she was using upright into the ground.

Emily's eyes slowly began to wander down her girlfriend's body. She had on a very short blue plaid skirt, a pair of knee high socks as well as a pair of almost knee high black boots.

"Hey, Em. I see you're working pretty hard." Spencer smiled brightly, as she slipped her arms around Emily's waist and hugged her girlfriend.

Emily was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Spencer's arms around her body.

"Careful. I don't wanna get you all sweaty."

"I don't mind." Spencer moved her hand to Emily's chest and kissed her.

"Well, I see someone's in a pretty good mood. How was your day?"

"Not bad. I missed you."

"Yeah?" Emily smirked. "I missed you too."

"Get a room." Mike laughed from across the yard.

"Seriously." Hanna snickered.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Listen, babe I'll be done here in a couple hours, then maybe we can pick up some dinner and head over to my place, okay?"

"That sounds perfect. I can't wait." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's body and hugged her again.

"We're gonna go inside, we'll see you later, babe." Hanna teased, poking Emily in the stomach with her index finger.

"Aw, man." Emily squeezed her eyes closed and blushed a little before fixing her eyes on her boots.

"I'm just kidding with you, Em." Hanna laughed. "You're adorable. You're so easy to embarrass."

"Let me know when you're ready to head home." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her one more time.

"Will do." Emily nodded.

"If you guys need a drink or a break or anything, feel free to come inside." Hanna said.

"Thanks, Hanna. I appreciate that."

Spencer and Hanna then walked back toward the house and inside through the patio door.

"So, you wanna start on our history project?" Spencer asked.

"I guess." Hanna rolled her eyes. "But, I'm getting us a snack first."

"Good idea. My brain works way better on a full stomach."

"Mine too. Oh and talking to Emily last night got me thinking even more about getting my belly button pierced." Hanna said as she opened the refrigerator door. "I'm gonna do it. It'll be a nice surprise for Caleb too. You wanna do it with me?"

"You know what? I'm in. I've never had anything pierced but my ears, I think it'd be fun."

"Awesome." Hanna took two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed one to Spencer. "We'll look so hot."

"Maybe I can even convince Emily to get her nipples pierced again. I haven't been able to stop thinking about that. She just keeps surprising me."

"I don't think she'd be too hard to convince...she's a total softie for you and she kinda seemed already on board with the idea last night...what do you wanna eat?" Hanna said, opening one of the cabinets.

"It doesn't matter, what ever you've got is fine with me."

* * *

Hanna looked up from her notebook and across the kitchen table where she caught Spencer staring at Emily out the large glass patio doors for what seemed like the millionth time that afternoon.

"So, not that I mind that we're not getting anything done, but you're not usually the one who's distracted." Hanna said. "You're always the one yelling at me for not paying attention." She laughed

"Sorry." Spencer closed her eyes, shaking herself from her thoughts. "I just..."

"It's cool. I get it. I'd totally rather watch Emily work too." Hanna stood up and switched chairs so that she was sitting beside Spencer and looking out the door. "Speaking of Emily, you were like super flirty with her when we got here. Like way more than normal. What gives?"

"You know, I've just been like extra horny lately. I have no idea why."

"Well, it hasn't even been a week since Emily came home. Maybe you just missed her more than you thought."

"Could be." Spencer watched as Emily wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand before beginning to dig another hole.

"So...have you talked to Miss Fix It yet about maybe getting a toy?"

"Not yet. How do you think I should ask her? Should I just like hint around or..."

"I'd just come right out and tell her what you want. Em's pretty smart so I know she'd figure it out eventually, but hinting around is too much work, it's way easier to just be up front."

"Maybe you're right. Em would probably rather have me be up front with her anyway."

"I think so. And the sooner you tell her, the sooner you'll be able to get down to business." Hanna elbowed Spencer in the ribs. "And I'm sure that Em would be more than happy to help you take care of all of your extra super horniness."

"I hope so." Spencer laughed. "I'm excited to try something new, but honestly I'm a little nervous."

"What do you have to be nervous about?"

"I just don't know exactly what to expect."

"You'll like it. Oral is really great, especially if they're good at it and I don't doubt at all that Emily is, but there's a lot of other awesome stuff you guys can do besides oral. Her hands will be free and we already know she's good with her hands, I'm sure she'll find something useful to do with them."

"She always does." Spencer smiled, taking a sip from her bottle of water.

"Especially if you're on top, riding her, that's the best time for her to have her hands free. Oh and once you and Em finally get a strap on, if you're doing missionary it'll be a lot easier to make out while she's doing you, that's always fun. There are so many other fun positions you guys can try. And it totally feels a lot better than when they just use their fingers. So don't be so nervous. You don't have any reason to be. I'm sure Emily will know exactly what she's doing."

"You're probably right. I've just never even used a toy on myself, you know? Does it hurt at all?"

"Maybe a little bit the first time, but you'll get used to it pretty fast. Just have Emily start out slow and gentle. It's nice, but it won't be long until you want it fast and hard." Hanna smirked. "And I definitely wanna hear about all the different positions you guys try."

"Don't worry, you'll be the first one I tell. So...what's your favorite position?"

"I really like it from behind and I really like being on top too. You get so much more control when you're on top. You get to decide how fast, how hard and how deep, while they just basically lay there and watch."

"Hmm..." Spencer said, a small half smile slowly began creeping across her face.

"Thinking about all the new things you wanna do with your architect?" Hanna laughed.

"Maybe...can you blame me?"

"Nope. Not at all."

* * *

Early that evening.

"So Spence, you about ready to go?" Emily asked. "I'm gonna head home and get a shower, then we can grab something to eat."

"I'll stop and pick us up some food, then you can go home and shower. I can just meet you over at your place."

"Works for me."

"Good. We can have dinner and there's something I wanna talk to you about." Spencer laced her fingers with Emily's.

"Oh. I...uh...is everything okay?" Emily asked nervously.

"Of course. Everything's fine. Don't worry."

"Good." Emily breathed a sigh of relief. "Usually, 'I wanna talk' is how a girl starts a bad conversation with me."

"No. You'll definitely like this conversation." Hanna winked. "I promise."

"That's encouraging. Thanks, Hanna."

"No problem. So Em, Spence and I were wondering, when are we gonna go get those piercings?" Hanna asked.

"When ever you want." Emily laughed.

"Cool. How about tomorrow after you get off work?"

"Tomorrow? You sure you just wanna go on a whim like that?" Emily said.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. It's no big deal. Spencer's even gonna get her belly button pierced with me."

"You are?" Emily asked, a little surprised.

"Yep." Spencer nodded.

"Sweet. But, you guys should probably check with your parents first, I don't want them to be pissed at me."

"My parents aren't gonna care." Spencer rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's my body, I can do what I want and it's not like they'll see it anyway."

"Well...what about your mom?" Emily looked over at Hanna.

"I asked her a while ago to get my belly button pierced and she said it was fine. She was gonna take me, but we never got around to it." Hanna shrugged. "But, I'm eighteen now so it's not like it matters."

"In that case, if you guys wanna go, I'll be happy to go with you."

"You're gonna get your nipples re-pierced while we're there, right?" Spencer smirked, looking up at her girlfriend.

"Sure. Why not? I can't be the only one to leave without getting something pierced, right?" Emily chuckled.

"Awesome. So tomorrow after you're done working then. We can go to that cool place down the street from my parents' office." Spencer said. "I can't wait."

* * *

"Good call on the Thai food tonight, Spence." Emily said, using her chopsticks to lift the last of her noodles to her mouth. "I'm stuffed. You wanna go in the bedroom and watch a movie and try not to lapse into a food coma."

"Definitely. I'll even let you pick the movie this time." Spencer laughed as she stood up from the dining room table.

"Cool." Emily also stood up and began to clear the table.

"And...how about if I text my mom and tell her that I'm staying over at Hanna's tonight?" Spencer said as she slipped her hands up over Emily's shoulders.

"I should've known better. I only ever get to pick the movie when we don't plan on actually watching the movie." Emily shook her head and laughed a little.

"Hey, I always intend on watching the movie. You're the one who starts it. And in case you haven't noticed, you're not exactly easy to turn down."

"You aren't either." Emily said, huskily as she placed her hands on her girlfriend's hips. "I guess we're equally guilty."

"That's fair." Spencer smiled slipping her hand into Emily's hair as she pressed her lips to the architect's.

"Why don't you go find something to watch and I'll finish cleaning up in here." Spencer said.

"You sure? I can clean up."

"It's all right. It'll only take a minute."

"Okay. Thanks." Emily kissed Spencer again before heading into the bedroom.

When Spencer entered the bedroom, she found Emily lying on the bed, her back propped up against the headboard with the remote control in one hand.

"I don't know what I feel like watching." Emily said, aimlessly scrolling through movie after movie on Netflix.

Spencer walked over to the bed and crawled on top of her girlfriend, straddling her waist. Emily looked down and noticed Spencer's already short skirt riding up very high on her thighs.

"We can always skip the movie and get straight to the real action." Spencer leaned down and gently began kissing Emily's neck.

"I'm good with that." Emily leaned her head back and slowly slid her hands up her girlfriend's back.

"Why don't you put on some music or something so Gwen won't hear us?"

Emily quickly picked up the remote and changed the channel as Spencer began sucking on her pulse point.

"Not this. Change it." Spencer mumbled against Emily's neck. "I'm not having sex with you to a kids' radio station."

Emily changed the channel one more time before carelessly tossing the remote away and aggressively flipping Spencer onto her back. Emily grasped the bottom of her own shirt and pulled it up over her head, tossing it to the floor.

"Wow. You're really ready to go, aren't you?" Spencer placed her fingers just above the hem of the architect's jeans.

"I'm sorry, was that too rough?" Emily asked, a very concerned tone in her voice. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, no. Not at all. You're fine. That was really hot." Spencer slowly slid her hands up her girlfriend's abdomen

"Good." Emily exhaled deeply. "Honestly, I've been ready since I saw you this afternoon."

"Really?" Spencer laughed.

"Are you kidding? You're wearing this crazy short skirt with knee high socks and you just waltz over and start touching me and kissing me. How am I supposed to feel except horny?"

Emily leaned down and slowly placed a few kisses over Spencer's collarbone.

"Babe, before we do this, there's something I wanna talk about."

"Wait, you mean what you wanted to talk to me about wasn't the piercing thing?" Emily asked, pulling back and staring down at her girlfriend.

"No."

"Well, what's on your mind?" Emily rolled off of her girlfriend and onto her side. "Did I do something bad?"

"Of course not. I've just been putting this off and it's gonna bug me..."

"What's up?"

"You know how you told me that if there's anything I ever wanted to try in bed to just let you know?"

"Sure, I remember." Emily propped herself up on one elbow, resting her head in her hand. "I'm listening. Is there something you wanted to try?"

"Yeah...actually I've been thinking...how would you...would you ever wanna..." Spencer stumbled over her words. "You know...like...use a strap on?"

"You want me to use one on you?"

"Yeah...but, I mean if you're not into that sort of thing, it's cool. I was just...well...have you ever used one before?"

"I have." Emily nodded. "I don't own one right now, but I've used them."

"Do you like it? Is it something you'd be interested in doing..."

"I do like it. I'd definitely be into getting a strap on for us." Emily leaned over and placed a kiss to Spencer lips.

"Awesome. That went better than I thought." Spencer smiled when the kiss was broken.

"You were afraid that I'd say no?"

"Not necessarily. I just didn't know if you've ever worn one or if you were even into that."

"Even if I never had, I told you I'm up for trying pretty much anything. Don't be afraid to ask." Emily rolled onto her back. "Come here."

Spencer happily climbed back on top of Emily.

"So…are you good with a strap on or what?" Spencer asked, leaning down to kiss Emily.

"I've never had any complaints. I guess that counts for something, right?"

"I'd say so." Spencer straddled her girlfriend's hips and began trailing a line of kisses down Emily's chest. "You have a favorite position?" Spencer pulled back to look into Emily's eyes.

"Missionary." Emily said, reaching up and tucking a lock of Spencer's hair back behind her ear. "That way I'll get to look into those beautiful brown eyes of yours the whole time...I love you."

"You know what I love about you?" Spencer asked.

"What's that?"

"You listen and still manage to say the cutest, sweetest things even when I know you're really horny."

"You make it easy, Spence. You're amazing and sweet and so beautiful-"

The rest of Emily's thought was quickly silenced by Spencer's lips being pressed tightly to the architect's.

* * *

The next evening.

When Emily finished working for the evening she headed into the Marin house where she found Ashley in the kitchen.

"Hi, Ashley." Emily said. "I just wanted to let you know that we're finished for the day, so I'm gonna head out. I'll be back on Monday morning."

"Great. Are you still taking Hanna to get her belly button pierced tonight?" Ashley asked.

"I gotta stop home and shower, then I was gonna head over to Spencer's and pick them up. Unless of course, you don't want me to. I only agreed to take her because Hanna said it was okay with you."

"It's fine with me, but I know how impulsive Hanna can be, so please don't let her come home with any tattoos."

"I won't." Emily laughed.

"It's not that I'm against tattoos, I just..."

"You don't have to explain. I totally get it. My mom wasn't thrilled when I came home with a tattoo. It was a month before she found out that I got one. Actually, she still isn't too big on it. But, anyway, I promise, just the belly button piercing. That's all she'll come home with."

"Thanks. I don't know anything about body piercings or tattoo shops so I'm glad she'll be with someone who's been to one."

"I checked out the shop's website that were going to and it seems perfectly legit. When we get there, we'll make sure it's clean and professional. You don't have anything to worry about."

"I trust your judgment."

"I'm glad you do." Emily smiled. "I'm gonna get going, but I'll see you later."

"Okay. Have a good night. Thanks again for taking Hanna."

"No problem. I'm happy to."

* * *

"You ready to do this?" Emily looked over at Spencer, then to Hanna who were standing on either side of her outside the door to the tattoo shop.

"I think so." Hanna nodded nervously.

"Me too." Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand as they walked into the shop.

Upon entering the shop, Emily, Spencer and Hanna walked up to the front counter. Across the room, there was a tattoo artist working on tattooing a large back piece on his client.

"Hi, I'll be right with you." The artist said over the loud buzz of the tattoo machine.

"Thanks." Emily replied.

After just a few minutes, the artist put his machine down and walked over to the counter as he pulled his gloves off.

"What can I do for you, ladies?" He asked, tossing his gloves into a trashcan.

"She and I were both looking to get navel piercings." Spencer said, pointing to Hanna.

"All right. Sound good." The man on the other side of the counter nodded. "What about you?" He looked over at Emily.

"I'd like to get my nipples pierced."

"Cool. Let me grab some release forms. You guys have IDs on you?"

"Sure." Emily said, reaching into her pocket for her wallet.

Hanna and Spencer also pulled their Driver's licenses from their pockets and set them on the counter along with Emily's. The artist took down the three girls' information and promptly returned their IDs.

"Okay, I'll just need your autographs at the bottom of these forms."

Once everyone had signed their respective forms, they handed them back to the man behind the counter.

"Thanks. Our piercer is with another customer right now, so if you just wanna go ahead and have a seat on the couch, she'll be with you in a few minutes."

"Awesome. Thanks." Emily said.

"No problem."

Emily and Spencer both walked across the room to the large black leather couch near the window and sat down. Hanna wandered around the shop looking at all of the posters of tattoo designs and photos of completed tattoos.

"Maybe I'll get a tattoo." Hanna said, moving in front of another poster and looking at the designs from top to bottom. "How much does a tattoo actually hurt, Em?"

"It all depends on where you get it, but honestly mine wasn't too horrible."

"What's it feel like?"

"Uh, kinda like being stung by a bee underneath your skin over and over."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Hanna shrugged. "I could handle that."

"It's not bad at first, but after you've been sitting in a chair for a couple of hours, having multiple needles going in and out of your skin, things get a little sore."

"Yeah, but your tattoo is huge. I can just get something small."

"Your mom will kill me if you come back with a tattoo." Emily said. "Let's just worry about the piercing for right now. Besides, getting a tattoo isn't something you want to do impulsively. At least with a piercing you can take it out if you decide you don't like it, but you're stuck with a tattoo. That's why I haven't gotten another one yet."

"Fine." Hanna sighed and sunk down on the couch, next to Spencer.

A few minutes later, a customer walked up to the front counter from the back of the store, he was followed by an attractive, petite, twenty-something brunette. Her hair was shoulder length with red streaks, she wore a half shirt and very short shorts. She had multiple piercings in her ears, a ring in her right nostril and a stud just below her lip. She was covered in tattoos on both arms and her chest. She had a few tattoos on her thighs as well as one on either side of her abdomen, just to the inside of her hips. She rung up the customer who had walked up with her and they talked for a few minutes about his new piercing. Once he left, the woman made her way over to Emily, Hanna and Spencer.

"Hi, I'm Amy. I'm the piercer." The woman said. "You girls ready?"

"I'm ready." Hanna all but jumped up from the couch.

"Cool. Let's get started. Follow me." Amy said.

Spencer and Emily both stood up and followed the piercer to the back of the shop, to a small room with a chair and a table.

"Which two of you are getting navel piercings?" Amy asked.

"We are." Hanna said, placing her arm around Spencer's shoulder.

"Awesome. So you're getting the nipple piercing then?" She placed her hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Uh huh." Emily nodded.

"Are we doing just one or both, hun?"

"Both."

"Cool." She nodded and smiled at Emily.

Spencer folded her arms over her chest and stared at the piercer, obviously not thrilled about the interaction with her girlfriend. Spencer was even less thrilled by the fact that in a few minutes, Emily would be half naked in front of her.

"Have any of you had anything pierced before?" Amy asked.

"They haven't." Emily said. "But, I used to have my nipples pierced."

"Okay...so…which one of you wants to go first?" Amy asked.

"I will." Spencer said quickly. "You'll hold my hand, right, babe?"

Spencer possessively wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and stared up at her girlfriend.

"Sure thing."

"Why don't you go ahead and lay down on the table while I get set up." Amy took a package with a sterile needle from the cabinet as well as the jewelry she planned on using and set them down on the table, next to Spencer.

Spencer lifted her shirt up and waited anxiously as Amy stepped over to the sink and began washing her hands. When she finished, she pulled on a fresh pair of black rubber gloves and stepped back over to Spencer. Emily moved to the head of the table as Amy cleaned Spencer's navel area. She then took a marker and placed two dots where the needle would pass through Spencer's skin.

"Okay. I marked where the jewelry is going to go. Why don't you take a look and see if you're happy with the placement."

Spencer sat up and looked down at the mark on her stomach.

"Looks good to me." Spencer said before lying back down on the table.

"Awesome. So, what'll happen is I'll use the forceps to hold your skin, I'll push the needle through, then I'll insert the jewelry. You'll just feel a bit of pressure and a quick little pinch. No big deal."

"Okay." Spencer swallowed the lump in her throat and reached up for Emily's hand as Amy opened the package containing the needle.

"The needle's so...big." Hanna said, staring down at the needle.

"It's a little long, but don't worry, it's pretty thin." Amy said.

Hanna stood next to Emily and watched as Amy took Spencer's skin in the forceps, over the spot she had marked.

"You ready?" Amy asked.

"Ready." Spencer nodded.

"All right. Take a nice deep breath for me."

Spencer slowly inhaled and squeezed Emily's hand as she stared up at her girlfriend.

"Okay. Exhale." Amy said as she used one swift motion to push the needle in.

Spencer felt the needle pass through her skin, but she didn't so much as flinch.

"Good job. Just hold still for a second while I put the jewelry in."

Amy slid the barbell into the hole and screwed the ball into place.

"You're all done." Amy said.

"That's it?" Spencer asked, sitting up.

"That's it. Piece of cake, right?" Amy laughed as she disposed of the used needle.

"Yeah. That wasn't bad at all."

"Take a look in the mirror and make sure you like it." Amy said as she removed her gloves and threw them away.

Spencer got up off of the table and walked over to the mirror. She lifted up her shirt and stared at the new jewelry in her navel.

"I think it looks hot." Amy said. "You have like the perfect anatomy to hold a navel piercing."

"Totally." Hanna agreed. "I knew you could pull it off."

"It looks great." Emily said. "I love it."

"Okay. My turn." Hanna jumped up on the table.

"You're not nervous at all?" Spencer asked.

"Not really anymore...but...would you mind if I borrowed Em for just a minute?" Hanna asked, reaching for Emily's hand. "Just in case."

"I guess that would be okay." Spencer laughed.

Emily walked back over to the head of the table as Amy began to prepare for Hanna's piercing.

When she was ready and Hanna had approved the placement, Hanna laid down and took Emily's hand in her own.

"Ready?" Amy asked.

"I'm ready." Hanna closed her eyes as she felt the forceps pinch her skin.

"Deep breath in, sweetie." Amy said, placing the needle at the entry point. "And out."

Hanna squeezed down on Emily's hand as hard as she could when she felt the needle push into her skin.

"Good. The bad part's over, I'm just gonna slide in the jewelry..." Amy gently slipped the barbell through the hole. "And you're done." She said as she finished screwing the ball on.

Hanna got up off of the table, lifted her shirt and looked into the mirror.

"It looks so awesome. I can't wait to show Caleb and that was so easy. I should get something else pierced while I'm at it…"

"No, no." Emily said. "I think that's enough for right now."

Amy laughed.

"Looks like you're the only one left." Amy said, looking up at Emily. "Go ahead and sit up on the table and take your shirt off."

Emily pulled her shirt up over her head.

"Would you hold this for me?" Emily asked, handing Spencer her shirt.

"Sure." Spencer took the shirt from her girlfriend.

"I gotta go grab some more gloves." Amy said, tossing the empty glove box into the trashcan. "I'll be back in just a second."

Emily sat up on the table as Amy left the room.

"I really wish there was a guy piercer to do yours." Spencer sighed, looking at Emily. "I just...don't know if I like her touching you..."

"Relax, Spence. It's no big deal." Emily said. "She's a professional. I'm not gonna get turned on and neither will she."

A moment later Amy walked back into the room.

"So...you said you had your nipples pierced before. Why'd you get rid of them?" Amy asked.

"One of them got caught and torn out at work." Emily said. "So I just ended up taking them out."

"Ouch. It didn't tear out the whole way, did it?" Amy asked.

"Not completely out, but almost. I decided to get them redone for me, but for my girlfriend too."

"I take it you're the girlfriend." Amy looked over at Spencer.

"Yep." Spencer nodded. "I am."

"Cool. You'll like it." Amy said. "I mean you obviously won't get as much out of it as she will." She pointed to Emily. "But, it'll definitely be fun for both of you."

"Do you think you'd be able to pierce me with barbells instead of rings so I don't have to risk tearing again?" Emily asked.

"You got it. I actually prefer to pierce with barbells." Amy said as she washed her hands. "I think the piercing heals straighter that way...go ahead and lift up your bra for me." She pulled on a fresh pair of gloves.

Emily reached down and took the hem of her sports bra into her hands. She pulled the bra up her chest to expose her breasts.

"Good, you're already hard. That makes it easier, I won't need any ice."

Spencer stared at her girlfriend, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest.

"It happens when I'm nervous. I can't help it." Emily said, looking at Spencer. "And it's cold in here."

"Your nipples get hard when you're nervous?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah..." Emily nodded as she glanced down at her own very erect nipples. "I don't know why."

"Well, by the looks of it, you must be terrified." Hanna laughed.

"Oh God. Shut up." Emily's face flushed a deep shade of red. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself.

"You've done this before. Why are you so nervous?" Spencer interrogated.

"Just because I've done it before doesn't mean I like needles any more than I did the last time. And before there weren't three people standing here staring at my nipple hard ons."

Hanna then burst out in a fit of laughter.

"There's nothing sexual about it, if that's what you're worried about." Amy looked over her shoulder at Spencer. "They're just nipples and I do this all the time."

"You want me to kick Hanna out?" Spencer asked, glancing over at the blonde who was still laughing.

"It's cool. She's already seen my business anyway." Emily slowly unfolded her arms.

"Which one was the one that got torn?" Amy asked.

"My left."

"Yeah, it looks like you've got a little bit of scarring, but it seems to have healed pretty well. We shouldn't have a problem."

Amy took a moment to clean and mark both of Emily's nipples. Once Emily approved the positioning, she settled back onto the table. Amy took the first needle from the package and clamped the forceps down on Emily's right nipple.

"Okay. Big breath...and exhale."

Emily squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the needle pass through the sensitive tissue. Amy gently inserted the jewelry and then moved over to Emily's left nipple. The architect sat patiently as the process was repeated for the second time.

"All right. You're all done. Check 'em out." Amy said, taking a step back so that Emily could get off of the table.

"They look great." Emily said. "They look perfectly even. Thanks."

"No problem. Now, what do you think?" Amy turned to Spencer. "That's probably the most important question here."

"I love it." Spencer stared at Emily's reflection in the mirror.

"Must be nice to have your boobs be exactly the same size." Hanna said. "God, is there any part of you that isn't perfect?" She laughed. "Seriously though you do look super hot."

"Yeah, you do." Spencer smirked. "So sexy."

"Thanks." Emily said as she pulled her bra back down.

"Now, I know you're gonna be excited to incorporate the piercings into your sex life..." Amy said. "But, you're gonna need to make sure that you don't put your mouth or tongue on them for at the very least a month."

"Okay." Spencer frowned.

"I know it'll be tough. It was hard trying to keep my boyfriend away from mine when I first had them done." Amy said. "But, I promise you, dealing with a nasty infection will be totally less sexy than having to refrain from a little nipple play for a while."

"True." Spencer nodded. "Here, babe." She handed Emily back her shirt.

"Thanks." Emily took the shirt from her girlfriend and slipped it back on.

"This goes for all three of you, your piercings will probably be a little sore for at least the next couple of weeks. So try to take it easy." Amy said, removing her gloves. "Let's head up front and I'll get you guys some specific aftercare instructions."

Once they got to the front of the store, in Amy instructed everyone on how to care for their piercings. Emily then paid and tipped Amy.

"Thanks for coming in. If you guys have any questions or concerns, feel free to stop by or give me a call." Amy said as she handed each girl a business card.

"Thanks a lot." Emily said. "Have a good night."

"You too." Amy said as Emily, Hanna and Spencer headed toward the door.

"Em, you really didn't have to pay for me." Hanna said. "Let me get you some cash." She reached into her bag.

"I don't want your money." Emily said. "It's cool."

"Are you sure?" Hanna asked.

"Absolutely."

"Thanks." Hanna smiled.

"You're welcome."

"What do you say you let Hanna and I buy you dinner?" Spencer said.

"I'm down for that. I could really go for a pizza right now." Emily said.

"Oooh. She's a pretty cheap date, Spence." Hanna laughed. "I knew I always liked her."

"What's not to like?" Spencer happily laced her fingers with Emily's as they walked toward the car.

 

 


	83. Chapter 83

Later that night.

After dropping Hanna off at home, Emily drove over to the Hastings' house.

"You wanna come in for a while?" Spencer asked, when Emily parked the car in the driveway.

"It's a little late, don't you think?"

"A little, but it's not a school night." Spencer shrugged. "My parents won't care. Just come watch some TV for a bit. We can cuddle on the couch."

"All right." Emily turned the car off and removed the key from the ignition.

When they got out of the car, Emily followed Spencer into the house. They walked into the kitchen where Veronica was looking at some paperwork on the kitchen island.

"Hi, girls." Veronica looked up.

"Hi, Missus Hastings. It's nice to see you."

"You too, honey."

"Mom, Em and I are gonna watch TV for a while. We'll be in the family room."

"Okay." Veronica nodded. "Have fun."

Spencer took Emily by the hand and they walked to the house's new addition. Spencer turned on the TV and joined Emily on the couch. Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder and pulled her close.

"How do your nipples feel?" Spencer asked.

"They're a little sore, but okay."

"Does this bother you?" Spencer laid her head on Emily's shoulder and leaned her back against her chest.

"Nope. You're fine. How's your belly button?"

"It's fine. It doesn't really hurt too much."

After a few minutes, Peter walked out of his office and into the kitchen, where his wife was still sitting.

"Did I hear Spencer come in?" Peter asked.

"You did. She's in the family room with Emily."

"Since she's home, I think I'm going to head up to bed and watch the news."

"I'll be up shortly. But, before you go, I was thinking, maybe it'd be nice if we invited Emily to the club for brunch with us tomorrow."

"That sounds good. I'll have Spencer ask her." Peter said.

"I think it'd mean a lot more to both of them coming from you." Veronica looked up at her husband.

"I'll go ask." Peter said as he began walking out of the room.

"Hi girls." Peter said, entering the family room, where Spencer and Emily were both contently cuddled together on the couch.

"Hi, Mister Hastings." Emily stood up. "I'm sorry it's late, I was just gonna head out..."

"You don't have to do that. Sit down. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Yes, sir." Emily nodded nervously as she sat down once again. "What can I do for you?"

"My wife and I were hoping that you'd join us for brunch at our country club tomorrow."

"I'd love to." Emily smiled. "What time?"

"Let's say about ten thirty?"

"Great. Is it okay if I meet you here after I get out of church?"

"Of course. That's perfect. Afterward, Wren and I have a noon tee time. You interested in playing a little golf with us? Unless of course, you'd rather sit and listen to last minute wedding details with my wife and daughters."

"Golf sounds like fun."

"All right then. I'm glad to have you joining us. Well, I'm heading upstairs. Spence, I don't want you up too late, okay?"

"I won't be, dad. You tell me all the time." Spencer laughed.

"And Emily, if you want to stay the night, you're welcome to the couch."

"Thank you very much, sir. I really appreciate that, but I should probably head home soon, I wanna get up and go to early mass."

"Okay. I guess we'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'll be here."

"Goodnight." Peter stepped over to the couch and placed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head.

"Night dad."

Peter gave Emily a friendly smile before exiting the room. Once Peter had left, Spencer noticed a worried expression cross Emily's face.

"Something wrong?" Spencer asked.

"I just agreed to golf with your dad and brother-in-law. I haven't golfed in years. I'm gonna suck..."

"You'll fit in perfectly with Wren and my dad then. You can't suck any worse then they do." Spencer laughed.

"Your dad's a bad golfer?"

"He's horrible. You'll spend most of the afternoon watching him play out of sand traps and water hazards. You don't have to worry."

"Good." Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

"I bet you'll have a way better time than I will though. You don't have to spend the whole afternoon with Bridezilla. She's been so annoying lately."

"Aw, take it easy on her. Her wedding's just a couple weeks away. She's stressed out."

"I know." Spencer said, laying down and placing her head in Emily's lap. "But, she doesn't have to take it out on me. I've been calling her snobby friends all week trying to get everything in order for her stupid bachelorette party."

"I'm sure Melissa appreciates everything you're doing for her." Emily gently ran her fingers through Spencer's hair.

"She better. I feel so bad for Wren, he can't even get away from her. I don't know how he stands it. I'm not gonna be nearly as uptight when I plan my own wedding."

"Sure you will." Emily laughed. "It's your wedding. It's one of the most important days of your life. You want everything to be perfect and you deserve to have things done the way you want."

"I guess that's true, but I promise not to be such a ball buster with you."

"Spence, when that times comes all you'll have to do is tell me what you want and you've got it, okay? I'll make certain that you get anything and everything you want." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's forehead.

"That's sweet. You know, there aren't a lot of people like you out there, Em." Spencer smiled up at her girlfriend.

"What, you mean crazy romantic AND devastatingly sexy?" Emily smirked and then laughed. "I'm just kidding."

"No, you were pretty much spot on." Spencer sat up, placed her hand on Emily's chest and kissed her.

* * *

The next morning after church, Emily got into her car, as she started the engine, her phone began buzzing in her pocket. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, assuming that it was Spencer calling, but when she looked at the phone's screen, it was a number that she didn't recognize. Despite not recognizing the caller, Emily decided to accept the call anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Emily Fields?" A male voice on the other end asked.

"It is." Emily replied.

"Wonderful. Emily, my name is Andrew Smith. I'm the dean of the college of Architecture at Texas Tech University."

"I thought the name sounded familiar. What can I do for you?"

"I know that you and I have never officially met, but I recently had the chance to check out the work you did on the Army Base at Fort Hood. When I heard that a graduate of our program designed it, I had to check it out. You did a phenomenal job."

"Thank you very much, sir."

"I'm sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but the reason I'm calling is that I'm currently working on putting together the program for our department's commencement ceremony and if you're available, I would love to have you come give the commencement speech to our graduating class."

"Me? You want me to give a speech?" Emily's tone was obviously surprised.

"Emily, you're one of the most talented alumni to ever come through our department. You've been hugely successful in only a short amount of time. You're an inspiration to aspiring and experienced architects alike."

"Thank you very much. I'd be honored to come speak. When is commencement this year?"

"Our department will be Saturday May fourteenth at ten a.m."

"That sounds great. I'll be there."

"Fantastic. I'll send you an email with all of the details."

* * *

When Emily arrived at the Hastings' house that morning, she parked her car in the driveway, next to Spencer's SUV and got out. Emily walked up the porch stairs and rang the doorbell; after only a few moments, her girlfriend greeted her.

"Hey." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily.

"Hey. I have something to tell you." Emily smiled brightly.

"What is it?"

"When I was on my way here, I got a call from the dean of the college of Architecture at Texas Tech and he wants me to come down and give the department's commencement speech."

"Oh my God. Em, that's amazing." Spencer wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and squeezed her tight. "Congratulations. I'm so coming with you so I can hear your speech. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." Emily wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, returning the embrace.

"Come inside." Spencer took the architect's hand and pulled her into the house. "Dad, Em's here. And guess what?"

"What?" Peter said, putting down his newspaper.

"She's going to be giving the commencement speech at Texas Tech's architecture department's graduation." Spencer said excitedly.

"Really?" Peter said as he stood up.

"They called me this morning." Emily nodded.

"That's wonderful." Peter said, sincerely.

"I mean it's really not that big of a deal or anything...but, I'm happy to do it."

"Sounds like a big deal to me. And I honestly can't think of a better commencement speaker. Congratulations, Emily." Peter extended this hand to Emily's.

"Thank you, sir." Emily smiled softly at Peter as she shook his hand.

Peter reached over and patted Emily's shoulder before releasing her hand.

"I'm gonna go down to Texas with her so I can hear her speech." Spencer linked her hands around Emily's midsection. "That's okay, right dad?"

"Of course you can go. When is graduation?"

"Saturday, May fourteenth." Emily said.

"Good, you'll have some time to prepare yourself. You getting tired of all this back and forth traveling yet?" Peter asked. "You've certainly been doing a lot of it."

"I have, but I'm not tired of it at all. The flights can be long, but when I'm here, I get to be with Spencer and when I'm in Texas, I get to see my family. It's a win-win really."

"That's a good way to look at it. So, are you ready for some golf this afternoon? It looks like we should be having a beautiful day."

"I'm ready, but I'm afraid I'm a little rusty. I haven't been golfing in years."

"No problem. I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"And exactly who's gonna teach you?" Spencer laughed, looking over at her father.

"Hey, your old man's not as bad as you think."

"Sure. What ever you say, dad. Have fun fishing your ball out of the water hazards all day long."

"We'll see about that." Peter laughed.

Peter's phone then began ringing from inside his pocket.

"Excuse me, I need to take this." Peter accepted the call and stepped out of the room.

A few minutes later, Melissa walked into the kitchen through the side door.

"Hi, Emily." Melissa said.

"Melissa. Hey, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. It's nice to see you back in town. I'm glad you're joining us for brunch."

"Thanks. Your dad invited me."

"I know. You two seem to really be getting along lately."

"I think we are." Emily nodded.

"I knew he'd warm up to you, eventually."

"Where's your fiancé?" Emily asked.

"He had to head over to the hospital for a couple of hours. He's meeting us at the club in a while." Melissa said, opening the refrigerator door and taking out a bottle of champagne. "You interested in joining me for a little pre-brunch drink?"

"Um, it's nine thirty a.m. Isn't that a bit early for alcohol?"

"Not if it's in a Mimosa." Melissa pulled a carton of orange juice from the refrigerator. "And Mimosas are classy, so drinking them in the day time is perfectly acceptable."

"I like your logic." Emily laughed.

"What can I say? I'm a very logical woman." Melissa said as she popped the cork off of the Champagne bottle. "Spence, did you and CeCe confirm the plans for my bachelorette party?"

"Yes, your highness. We took care of it." Spencer said sarcastically. "We rented a limo and made hotel reservations. Bridget and Casey said they're coming."

"Oh good. I was hoping they'd be able to make it." Melissa poured some orange juice into two Champagne flutes.

"We have eight 'o clock dinner reservations at Vetri followed by a romp through a slew of oiled up, muscled, male strippers."

"Strippers?" Melissa said, adding some Champagne to the two glasses of orange juice. "I specifically told CeCe no strippers."

"No, she said you told her no strippers, while giggling like a school girl and searching online for which strip clubs in Philly have the hottest guys." Spencer took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with some orange juice. "We all know that means 'I'm just gonna say no strippers so I don't seem like a perv, but hire some anyway.'"

"No doesn't always mean do it anyway." Emily laughed. "Every birthday I seriously tell my guys no strippers and every year I still get one."

"And yet I'm sure you've never refused a half naked bimbo straddling your lap and shaking her double Ds in your face." Spencer rolled her eyes and lifted her glass to her lips.

"Well, I wouldn't wanna be rude now would I?"

"You're a pig." Spencer mocked as she slapped Emily's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Someone's a little grouchy today." Emily laughed as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Spencer nodded.

"So Emily, if you're free, would you like to come to my bachelorette party?" Melissa asked, handing the architect a drink. "It's on Saturday night. I'd love for you to join us."

"Oh, thank you for the invite, I appreciate you thinking of me, but I don't know that that's really my sort of thing..."

"Aw, come on. I'll be there." Spencer said. "You can at least keep me company."

"Yeah but..."

"I know you're more used to being one of the guys, so to speak..." Melissa said. "But, you can be one of the girls with us for the night."

"I just...don't really want some dude touching me with his junk, you know?"

"It's not like you have to get a lap dance, babe." Spencer said. "And seeing guy strippers for a couple of hours won't suddenly make either of us straight." Spencer laughed.

"I know that..."

"You really should come." Melissa said. "We'll have a nice dinner and when we get to the club, you can just sit back and have a few beers. It'll be fun. Besides, wouldn't you like to be nearby just in case one of the guys gets a little too friendly with Spencer?"

"I'm sure most of them are gay..." Emily shrugged. "I don't think there's anything for me to worry about."

"Not all male strippers are gay you know." Spencer said. "And some of the guys that work at the place we're going to are actually pretty hot too."

"Look." Spencer pulled her phone out of her pocket and brought up the website of the club that they were planning on attending.

"You're going to a place called 'Hunk-O-Mania?'" Emily said, looking at the screen as she took the phone from her girlfriend.

"Yeah. CeCe said it was the best place in Philly." Spencer said.

Emily scrolled through at least a dozen photos of half naked, very handsome men with perfectly chiseled muscles. Emily then suddenly began feeling very self-conscious about her own body. She also began to feel slightly jealous as she pictured those men and their muscles grinding on her girlfriend.

"How are you even getting in this place?" Emily asked. "Aren't these clubs usually over twenty one?"

"I have my fake ID. No one will know the difference." Spencer shrugged.

"I'm not trying to be a goody goody, but are you sure letting her use a fake ID is a good idea?" Emily looked over at Melissa.

"She's my sister and Maid of Honor. She has to come to my bachelorette party."

"Don't be so uptight." Spencer rolled her eyes. "Didn't you ever have a fake ID?"

"Well, yeah, but I used mine to get into bars so I could drink, exactly what I'm nervous about you doing."

"Em, it'll be fine." Spencer said. "I'm not gonna get wasted or anything. Besides, it's a club with half naked guys dancing for drunk, horny women. It's not your typical bar."

"Well…I guess that's true…but on second thought, maybe I will tag along." Emily said, raising her glass to her lips. "You know, just to make sure these guys aren't like inappropriate or anything."

"Good." Melissa laughed. "I knew we'd convince you. Oh and I'm actually really glad you're here, Emily. I was hoping to ask your opinion on something."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Come to the barn with me."

Emily and Spencer both followed Melissa out the door and into the barn.

"I'll be back in a second." Melissa said, disappearing into the bedroom as Emily sat down on the couch.

After a minute, Melissa returned with a bag in her hand from an upscale, designer lingerie shop.

"I wanna know if you think that this lingerie is sexy enough to wear for Wren on our wedding night." Melissa set the bag on the coffee table and pulled out a relatively skimpy white garment that was almost see through and adorned with lacy floral accents.

"Did you pick that out?" Spencer asked.

"It was a compromise. I planned to go with something a little more conservative, but CeCe insisted that something skimpier would be better so we met in the middle. I've got a matching garter belt and white stockings to go with it too."

"I, uh...when you said you wanted my opinion, I thought you meant you wanted to ask like a construction or design question for the barn or something..." Emily averted her eyes away from Melissa. "But, you're asking my opinion about...underwear?"

"Well, yeah. I can't ask my fiancé, Spencer's my sister, so she won't give me a good answer..."

Spencer just rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

"I could never ask a guy friend. But, as someone who isn't related to me and who is attracted to women, I wanna know..."

"I think it'll look great." Emily said, her gaze still fixed on the floor.

"Emily, you didn't even look." Melissa said. "Now, I want your honest opinion..." She held the garment up to her body. "If I was your wife and came to bed wearing this on the wedding night, would it turn you on?"

"I uh...um..." Emily stuttered as she slowly looked up at Melissa, a small smirk inadvertently crossing the architect's lips. "I think..."

"Em." Spencer sat down next to her girlfriend and placed her hand on the architect's knee. "Before you open your mouth, you'll wanna put it back in your pants and think very carefully about what you say next."

Emily laughed a little. "I was just gonna say that I think what your sister picked is really nice. It's sexy, but it still leaves something up to the imagination. I like that, it's way better than wearing something slutty. I think your fiancé will love it."

"You really think so?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah. Absolutely." Emily nodded.

"Thanks, Emily." Melissa smiled brightly.

"Sure thing."

"Okay, can we please stop thinking about my sister in lingerie, now? Or else I'm gonna barf."

"Thanks, Spence. I appreciate the feedback." Melissa said sarcastically, shaking her head as she placed the garment back into the bag. "At least your girlfriend knows the right things to say."

* * *

Later that morning at the country club, everyone had finished eating and taken to mainly just pushing the left over food around on their plates.

"How are your dance classes going, honey?" Veronica asked, glancing over at Melissa.

"I don't know about Wren, but I'm having a lot of fun. I like our instructor."

"You guys are taking dance classes?" Emily asked.

"Yes." Wren nodded. "Dancing isn't one of my strong suits. So, Melissa suggested we take some lessons before the wedding."

"Melissa, why don't you and Wren take Emily and Spencer with you to your class this week?" Veronica said. "I think that would just be the cutest double date idea."

"I think it's a great idea." Melissa said. "I'd like to go on a double date with you guys. Maybe we can get dinner together after class too?"

"What day is the class?" Emily asked.

"It's Thursday at seven."

"I don't have anything going on after work. I mean, I'm not much of a dancer, but I'd be willing to give it a shot of you want to." Emily looked over at Spencer.

"Yeah, maybe." Spencer shrugged, looking at Melissa. "We'll let you know."

"Well, Wren...Emily you two about ready to head out to the course?" Peter asked. "We don't want to be late for our tee time."

"I'm ready. I just wanna go use the rest room first." Emily stood up from the table.

"Oh, Emily on your way back, do you think you could do me a favor and see if you can find me a pen?" Melissa asked. "I wanna try to finish this seating chart."

"She's my girlfriend, not your gofer, Melissa." Spencer said, irritably.

"Spencer, honey, is something bothering you?" Veronica asked.

"No, I just have a headache. That's all."

"You want me to get you some Tylenol or something?" Emily asked. "I've got some in my car."

"That would be great. Thanks, Em." Spencer looked up at her girlfriend.

"I'll be right back." Emily said as she leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head. "But, here." She pulled a pen from the inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to Melissa.

"Thanks."

"Sure. What kind of architect would I be if I didn't carry a pen? You never know when inspiration might strike."

Emily then excused herself from the room.

"Are you sure you're all right, honey?" Veronica asked.

"You look like you really aren't feeling very well." Peter added.

"It's just girl stuff, dad. Headache, cramps, the usual. I'll be fine." Spencer said.

"Oh." Peter nodded, understanding what Spencer meant. "Do you need to go home?" He placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "I can take you or we can have Emily take you."

"No, really. I'll be fine. You know this happens once every month. I can't just stop living."

Spencer then looked across the table at her sister. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, I just..."

"It's okay. I get it."

After a few minutes, Emily returned with a bottle of pain reliever in her hand.

"Here, Spence." Emily set the bottle down on the table.

"Thanks a lot." Spencer opened the bottle and took two pills.

"You're welcome. Can I leave my jacket with you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." Emily slipped her jacket off and hung it on the back of Spencer's chair. "I'll see you a little bit later." The architect bent down and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

"Okay. Have fun. Try not to humiliate my dad too much."

* * *

"Do you golf much, Emily?" Wren asked, pulling a driver from one of the bags.

"Not really. I used to go with my dad and grandpa every once in a while, we'd spend some time at the driving range, they're pretty good, but me not so much. The shooting range was always more my forte."

"Shooting range? You're pretty good with a gun, huh?" Peter asked.

"Oh yeah. My dad and his dad are both Army men. And my mom's dad is a Marine. I have tons of other family members in all branches of the military though, so learning how to shoot was a requirement in my family."

"With so many family members involved, did you ever consider joining the military?" Wren asked, placing his tee into the ground.

"Definitely. There was a time before I wanted to be an architect where I thought a lot about following after my dad and joining the Army."

Wren pulled a golf ball from his pocket and set it on down the tee.

"Going into the Army is a pretty noble career path, but I'm sure you're very happy with the path you chose." Peter said.

"I really am. I pretty much had to come up with an alternate plan after my mom said I wasn't allowed to go into the Army." Emily laughed.

"It's understandable that a parent would want to discourage her child from joining the Army." Peter said. "I'm sure I'd do the same if it were one of my girls."

Emily and Peter both watched as Wren lined up his shot, pulled his club back and hit the ball off the tee. They watched as the ball sliced hard to the left and bounced off of a large tree. Wren groaned, very displeased with his shot.

"I'm a little distracted today." Wren said, slipping his driver back into the bag of clubs.

"You getting anxious about your wedding?" Emily asked.

"A little." Wren nodded. "It's coming up so fast and I'm really trying to help, but I feel like I just keep getting in the way."

"Well, Melissa can be extremely demanding." Peter laughed. "It's probably better to just let her do what she wants to do. That's why we're out here...all right, Emily, you're up next. Think you can do better than Wren here?"

"I'll give it my best shot." Emily picked out a driver from the bag of clubs

Emily situated her ball on the tee and prepared to take her shot. After hitting the ball, Emily watched it sail through the air before finally landing on the green, not far from the hole.

"Not a bad shot." Peter said, impressed. "But, stand back while I show you two how it's really done."

Peter placed his tee in the ground and took a few very long moments to meticulously line up his shot. Peter pulled his club back and swung hard, the ball flew through the air, hooked to the right and eventually plummeted downward, landing into the middle of a sand trap.

"Okay, so that wasn't my best drive." Peter said. "We've still got seventeen more holes to go. The next one will be a hole-in-one for sure."

Later that afternoon, Emily, Peter and Wren rejoined Spencer, Melissa and Veronica in the dining room.

"So, how was the golf game?" Veronica asked.

"Yeah, who won?" Spencer added.

"Oh, we were all pretty horrible to be honest." Emily said.

"Well, who was the least horrible?" Spencer laughed.

"I believe that would be your old dad." Peter said, proudly. "These two have got nothing on me." He placed one arm around Wren's shoulder and the other around Emily's.

"I'm ashamed of both of you." Spencer said, looking at Emily and then over to Wren. "If dad had the best score, how awful were you two?"

"Hey, I started off really well, but after hole number two...that's when everything started to fall apart." Emily laughed.

"We weren't that bad." Peter said.

"Three old ladies laughed at us as they played through." Wren said.

"Oh no." Melissa bit her lip, attempting to stifle a laugh.

"Maybe next time you should try some tennis." Veronica suggested.

"That's probably a good idea." Peter laughed. "I'm a little better at tennis."

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Spencer and Emily walked into Emily's apartment.

"I'm gonna go change my clothes." Emily said, setting her keys and wallet down on her computer desk.

Spencer sat down on the couch as Emily disappeared into the bedroom. After only a few minutes, Emily returned in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve baseball t shirt.

"So, did you actually have a decent time golfing with Wren and my dad today?" Spencer asked.

"Of course." Emily sat down, next to Spencer.

"My dad was nice to you and everything?"

"Uh huh. It was a real bonding experience for both of us." Emily laughed. "How was your afternoon?"

"It was all right, I guess. It was mostly helping Melissa figure out her seating chart for the reception. Or more specifically which family members we can't put next to each other without a feud breaking out."

Emily laughed. "How many people are coming?"

"A lot. Like around three hundred and fifty, I think."

"Oh wow. I don't even think I know three hundred fifty people I'm close enough with to invite to my wedding."

"Melissa's not close to all of them. A lot of the guests are like my parents' friends and stuff. It's about throwing the biggest wedding possible to outdo everyone and keep up appearances."

"Is that like a normal rich people thing to do or something?"

"Pretty much. My parents know so many people. They get invited to all kinds of events, so you kind of have to keep up and reciprocate."

"Hmm. Being rich is too complicated. I'd rather stay broke."

"You're far from broke, Em."

"Well, I mean I make a pretty decent living." Emily shrugged.

"You're so modest." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her.

"Did you call your mom this morning and tell her about you getting invited to give the commencement speech?"

"I didn't have a chance yet. I came right over to your place after church. I'll give her a call probably later tonight."

"She's gonna be so proud of you and she has every reason to be." Spencer leaned over and kissed Emily again.

Emily opened her mouth and slowly deepened the kiss. Without breaking the kiss, Emily leaned back against the armrest of the couch, pulling Spencer with her. Beginning to lose herself in the moment, Spencer closed her eyes, slid her hands up underneath Emily's shirt and up her chest. Emily's whole body tingled with a rush of arousal when she felt Spencer's fingers gently brush over her nipple piercings. Emily groaned softly as her nipples stiffened beneath the material of her bra. Emily broke the kiss only to move lower and begin aggressively kissing and nipping at Spencer's neck.

"Mmm...Em..." Spencer moaned.

Emily moved back up and once again captured Spencer's lips with her own. Emily's hands slowly wandered down Spencer's body. The architect took her girlfriend's blouse in her hands and lifted it upward.

"Em, wait..." Spencer broke the kiss and placed her hand on Emily's chest, gently pushing her backward. "We can't."

"I, uh...I'm sorry. D...did I do something wrong?" Emily swallowed hard, a sudden feeling of panic coming over her.

"No, baby. Of course not." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek. "We can't because I got my period today. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to..."

"Don't be sorry. It happens. This is just one of the very few drawbacks of being a lesbian. Twice during the month you deal with no sex. But, that's no big deal."

"I'm just annoyed." Spencer sighed. "I wasn't even expecting to get my period today. I'm two weeks early. No wonder I've been so horny lately."

"And I guess now I know why you've been extra grumpy today, huh?" Emily joked.

"I always get really irritable." Spencer sighed. "I don't feel that well and I've had cramps all day long. It sucks."

"You're allowed to be as irritable as you want." Emily leaned forward and kissed the tip of Spencer's nose.

"I can deal with the other stuff, but these cramps are the worst." Spencer groaned, placing her hand near her pelvic area. "I try to just ignore it, but I can't."

Spencer stood up, walked over to the dining room table and began rifling through her purse.

"Crap." Spencer sighed. "Em, do you have any tampons? I could have sworn that I had more in here but I must have used my last one this afternoon."

"I actually don't." Emily stood up. "They're on my shopping list...but, don't worry, I'll go get you some right now."

"I can go. You just got home, I don't wanna make you go out again."

"I'll go." Emily slipped her arms around Spencer's waist. "I don't mind. I know you probably feel miserable, why don't you stay here and just relax? You can go take a nice hot shower. Maybe that'll help with the cramps? I'd tell you to take a bath, but you really shouldn't yet with your belly button piercing."

"A hot shower sounds great."

"There are clean towels in the bathroom cabinet and you can have anything you want from my closet if you wanna change into something more comfortable." Emily slowly ran her hand up and down the small of Spencer's back. "I'll be back ASAP."

"Thanks, Em."

Emily smiled and leaned down to kiss Spencer on the forehead. Emily then picked up her wallet and keys and headed out the door.

* * *

When she got to the supermarket, Emily picked up a pint of ice cream, various kinds of chocolate, snacks and candy as well as a dozen red roses, a heating pad and a box of Midol pain reliever. Emily then headed over to the tampon aisle. At that moment, Emily realized that she had forgotten to ask Spencer which kind of tampons she preferred. Emily pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called Spencer. The phone rang and rang before eventually going to voicemail. Emily tried calling a few more times, but again was only greeted by Spencer's voicemail message.

Emily stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She shrugged, took a number of various boxes of different brands off of the shelf and tossed them into her shopping basket.

"Emily?" A voice said from a few feet away.

Emily turned around and noticed Aria Montgomery walking up the aisle.

"Hey, Aria." Emily said. "What's up?"

"Not much, just picking up a few things for my mom."

Aria glanced down at the basket in Emily's hand.

"Are you planning on having your period for a while?" Aria laughed. "Like for the next six months straight?"

"Oh, no." Emily laughed. "Spencer's on hers and I came to pick up some stuff for her, but when I got here, I realized that I totally forgot to ask her what kind of tampons she uses and she's not picking up her phone. I don't know if she uses what I use, so I figured I'd just get a bunch of different ones and hope one of them is what she likes."

"Aww. That's like the most adorable thing I've ever heard. You're a good girlfriend."

"Thanks. Spencer's already not feeling well, I just wanna do whatever I can to help."

"Well, it's a good thing I ran into you. I can save you the guesswork and a small fortune too." Aria said, taking a box off of the shelf. "Spencer uses these ones." She handed the small black box to Emily.

"Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you out. So, how's working for Ms. Marin going?"

"Pretty good." Emily said as she placed all of the boxes of tampons back on the shelf, keeping only one box of her own preferred brand and one box of Spencer's. "Ashley's really nice and I feel a lot more relaxed working for her than I did when I was at the Hastings' house."

"I bet. Mister Hastings is usually really particular and likes things done his way and only his way."

"You're not kidding." Emily laughed as she and Aria began walking.

"How are things going between you and Mister Hastings since you got back?"

"A lot better. We went to the Phillies' game together on opening day and I actually went golfing with him and Melissa's fiancé this afternoon."

"That's good. It sounds like you guys are getting along now."

"Yeah. It's really nice to have him not hate me anymore." Emily said, following Aria as she turned and began walking up the dairy aisle.

"I'm sure it's a huge relief. You deserve to have the chance to show him how good you are for Spencer."

"Thanks."

"Hey, can you please grab me some of those Greek yogurts on the top shelf there?" Aria asked. "The strawberry ones."

"Sure. How many do you want?"

"Like four."

Emily reached to the very back of the top shelf and placed four cups of yogurt into Aria's shopping basket.

"Thanks. I hate that they put my favorite kind on the top shelf. I can never reach it."

"No problem. At least I'm useful for something." Emily laughed. "But, I really should go pay for this stuff and get home to Spencer. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. Definitely. We should make plans to do something sometime. We haven't really gotten to hang out a whole lot since you and Spencer started dating."

"I know. We should change that. I've started to get to know Hanna a little bit better and I'd like to get to know you better too."

* * *

When Emily arrived back at her apartment, she gathered her bags from the back seat and headed inside. She walked through the living room and took her bags into the kitchen. Emily took the bouquet of roses from one of the bags as well as the two boxes of tampons. She walked into the bedroom and set the roses down on the pillow on Spencer's usual side of the bed. Emily then knocked on the bathroom door.

"Spence, I'm back. Can I come in? I have your tampons."

"Sure. Come in." Spencer called out.

Emily opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, she placed the box of Spencer's tampons on the counter and opened the cabinet to put her own away.

"I'll leave your tampons on the counter." Emily said.

"Thanks so much, Em." Spencer said pulling the shower curtain aside and poking her head out. "I'll be out in just a minute."

"Take your time." Emily stepped over to the shower and kissed her girlfriend. "I'll be in the living room."

Emily then left the room and walked back into her bedroom. She rooted through her dresser drawers and pulled out a black t shirt and a pair of gray boxer shorts with pink flamingos printed all over them. Emily set the clothing on the bed with the roses and headed back into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Spencer came out of the bathroom and walked into Emily's bedroom where she noticed both the roses and the clothing that Emily had laid out. Spencer quickly got dressed, picked up the roses and walked out into the living room.

"You brought me back roses?" Spencer asked.

"Uh huh. I thought they might help you feel a little bit better."

"They do. And I like the flamingo boxers you laid out for me."

"Flamingos are so weird, but really cool. I love to come home and wear those boxers when I've had a bad day or I don't feel well, they make me smile and then I always feel a little better. How are your cramps? Did the shower help?"

"A little, but I still have cramps." Spencer groaned.

"I got you some Midol and a heating pad. You can go lay down and rest for a while if you want to."

"You're the sweetest girlfriend ever." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and buried her face into the architect's chest. "Will you come cuddle with me?"

"You bet. Are you hungry at all? I wasn't sure what kind of snacks you'd be in the mood for, so I bought all kinds of stuff. I have salty snacks and sugary snacks. I've got ice cream, I have brownies and every kind of chocolate you can imagine. Chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate with nuts, chocolate and caramel, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with a hint of sea salt, chocolate covered fruit...basically your ultimate emergency period chocolate variety pack...why isn't that an actual thing, by the way?"

"An emergency period chocolate variety pack?" Spencer laughed.

"Yeah. I feel like that should definitely be a thing."

"Don't make me laugh." Spencer smiled, trying not to make her cramps worse by laughing.

"Sorry." Emily said, sympathetically. "Why don't you go lay down. I'll bring you the heating pad and a couple of Midol. And why don't you give me those roses, I'll put them in some water until you take 'em home."

Emily leaned down and gently kissed Spencer on the lips.

"Can I take some snacks into the bedroom with me?"

"Of course you can. In fact, I encourage it. What do you feel like?"

"Can I take the brownies and the peanut butter cups?"

"Yep. Here you go." Emily handed her girlfriend a container of eight large fudge brownies and a king sized package of peanut butter cups. "I'll be right in."

"Okay. I'll try not to get chocolate on your sheets."

"Get it all over the sheets." Emily laughed. "I don't care. I can wash them. You do what ever you need to do."

After a few minutes, Emily walked into the bedroom with a heating pad, a glass of water and the bottle of Midol. She set the heating pad down on the bed and opened the bottle of pills. She handed two pills and the glass of water to her girlfriend.

"Thank you." Spencer put the pills in her mouth and took a drink of water from the glass.

Emily reached behind her nightstand and plugged in the heating pad.

"Here, you can lay on my side. I don't think the heating pad will reach all the way over there."

Spencer rolled over to Emily's side of the bed and waited for her girlfriend to lay down. Once Emily had laid down, Spencer snuggled up next to the architect. She laid her head on Emily's chest, turned the heating pad all the way up and placed it on her lower abdomen.

"I'm sorry for being such a buzzkill." Spencer said, taking a bite from one of the brownies.

"You're not." Emily wrappped her arm around her girlfriend.

Emily used her other hand to place her thumb on the corner of Spencer mouth to wipe off a glob of chocolate. Emily then placed her thumb in her own mouth and sucked off the chocolate.

"I just don't know why this month I feel extra shitty..." Spencer said. "How do you deal with really bad cramps and stuff? Especially when you have to go out and do a physical job every day. That must totally suck."

"Actually, I don't really get cramps."

"You don't?"

"No. My periods are always pretty mild. For me my period is just a few days of minor inconvenience. I don't get cramps or bloating or any of that stuff."

"God, you're so lucky."

"I know. I've known a lot of girls who get really painful periods. I wouldn't ever wish that on anyone."

"Me either and I can't believe I'm two weeks early. That's so annoying."

"Well, look at it this way, at least now you won't be on your period during your sister's wedding."

"That's true. I guess I can't be mad about that."

"You know, when I was thirteen and I got my first period, my mom cried for like two days saying how I wouldn't be her little baby anymore."

Spencer chuckled a little.

"Oh you're still her little baby, but now you're just her not so little little baby." Spencer gently moved her open palm up and down Emily's abdomen. "Oh and thanks a lot for taking care of me today..."

"It's my job, baby." Emily placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead. "In my personal experience when it comes to girlfriends, periods are a good thing. Last time a girlfriend missed a couple periods, I didn't think anything of it and then I ended up with a baby. As long as you promise to not get pregnant until we plan it, I'll keep taking care of you, every period you get."

"I think that's a fair trade off." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	84. Chapter 84

Later that night

Spencer removed the heating pad from her lower abdomen and shifted her position on the bed. She wrapped her arms around Emily's body and nestled her face up against the architect's chest.

"You feeling any better?" Emily asked, gently running her fingers through her girlfriend's hair.

"A little. The cramps are pretty much gone."

"Good. I'm glad. Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No, thanks. I just want you to stay in bed with me, okay?"

"Okay. But, we should think about getting you home soon."

"Can't I stay with you tonight?"

"I'd love for you to stay over, but I don't know that your dad would be crazy about the idea. And it's a school night."

"Yeah, but he knows that I'm on my period. I think it's a safe bet that he thinks we won't be doing anything."

"Well, I'll tell you what...why don't you give your mom a call and see if she's cool with you staying over?"

Emily reached over to her night stand and handed Spencer her phone. Spencer selected her mother's contact and waited as the phone connected. After a few rings, Veronica picked up.

"Hi honey." Veronica said one the other end. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to check, is it okay if I stay over at Emily's tonight? She'll drop me off at school on her way to work in the morning."

"It's all right with me. Just make sure you get to school on time."

"I will. Emily has to be over at Hanna's house early anyway."

"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks mom. Bye."

Spencer ended the call and reached across Emily's body to set the phone back on the nightstand.

"She said yes?" Emily asked.

"Mm hm. I'm yours for the night."

"Good. You sure you don't want me to get you anything? I can make you something to eat if you're hungry."

"I'm not. I'm actually a little bit nauseous."

"I'm sorry." Emily said sympathetically.

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I'll be fine."

"I know, it's just that, when you feel bad, I feel bad too. Especially when I can't fix it."

"You're sweet." Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek.

Emily gave Spencer a small smile.

"Why don't you at least let me make you some peppermint tea? That always helps me when I'm nauseous."

"That sounds good. Thank you."

"You just lay here, I'll be back in a minute." Emily said as she slowly slipped out of bed.

After just a few minutes Emily returned with a mug full of hot tea.

"Here you go." Emily said, handing Spencer the mug.

"Thanks." Spencer sat up a little and took the mug from her girlfriend. "Keep calm and trust the architect." She laughed a little reading the words painted on the mug aloud.

"It's true. You should always trust the architect. At least this one anyway." Emily laughed as she knelt down on the bed.

"I do." Spencer leaned over and pressed her lips to Emily's. "Did you call your mom yet to tell her about your big news?"

"About the commencement speech?"

"Of course." Spencer said, taking a sip of tea from the mug.

"Not yet. I didn't wanna call her while I was in the car. I'll probably call her tomorrow and tell her."

"Call her now."

"But...you're here and it's not that big of a deal, it can wait. It's not like I'm speaking in front of the whole university or anything. It's only the architecture undergraduates."

"Em, would you please stop putting yourself down so much? Sometimes you're so confident and sure of yourself and I think that's totally sexy. But then other times you second guess everything and you're just so overly critical of yourself."

"I just try to keep myself grounded and humble."

"I get that and that's a good thing." Spencer nodded. "But, you're so smart and amazing. There is a difference between being humble and putting yourself down."

"I'll try to stop doing that." Emily smiled sheepishly.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now get your phone out of your pocket, call your mom and tell her your good news so she'll have more time to brag about how wonderful you are to her friends and the rest of your family."

"All right. I'll call." Emily laughed, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Emily dialed the number to her parents' house in Texas. After just a few rings, Pam picked up.

"Hi, honey." Pam said happily. "How are you?"

"Pretty good. How are you and dad?"

"Everything's fine on our end. How was your day?"

"It was nice. After church I went to brunch with Spencer and her family and then I went golfing with Mister Hastings."

"You did? How'd that go?"

"It was good. Mister Hastings invited me himself and we're getting along pretty well. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"That's so nice to hear. How's Spencer doing?"

"She's great. She's here with me now. But, I actually called because I have some good news."

"I like good news. Are you and Spencer engaged?" Pam questioned.

"It's not that good of news, mom." Emily laughed. "We're still a ways away from that."

"What did she say?" Spencer asked.

"She wanted to know if we were engaged." Emily laughed again, holding the phone away from her mouth.

Spencer smirked to herself as she took another sip of tea from the mug in her hands.

"Just thought I'd put it out there." Pam said. "Now what's your good news?"

"Well, this morning I got a phone call from the Dean of Architecture at Texas Tech. He invited me to come give the commencement speech to the spring architecture graduates."

"That's wonderful, honey. This is so exciting. When is graduation?"

"Saturday. May fourteenth."

"So, I'll get to see you in just two weeks?"

"Yep. I'm bringing Spencer with me too."

"Oh Good. Are you going to be able to come home before that weekend?"

"I don't think so. But, we can probably stay through the weekend. I was thinking that Spencer and I would fly into Lubbock on Friday evening. Then after commencement maybe we can ride back with you and dad and stay Saturday night and most of Sunday. Then we can just fly out of Killeen on Sunday."

"That sounds great. Let me know when you book your flight, what time you'll be getting in and where you're staying so that your dad and I can book a room and try get in around the same time."

"I will. I'm gonna look for flights and hotels tomorrow."

"I can't wait to see you, sweetie."

"I can't wait to see you either, mom."

"Oh and your dad needs to put in for his vacation time. When would be a good to come up and see you?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't really have a whole lot going on in May besides Spencer's sister's wedding the first week and the commencement speech the week after. Other than that, I'm free for the rest of the month."

"All right. I'll tell your dad to see if he can get off one of those last two weeks of May."

"Sounds good."

"And make sure you take lots of pictures of you and Spencer at the wedding. I bet you two will just be so adorable."

"I'll make sure we get pictures." Emily laughed. "So, I should probably go, but I just wanted to let you know about the speech."

"Thanks for calling. I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to hear your speech."

"I just hope I can come up with something half decent."

"You'll be fine. You have plenty of time and if you need someone to practice on, you know I'm always all ears."

"Thanks mom. I love you."

"I love you too, baby. I'll talk to you soon. Goodnight. Tell Spencer I said hello."

"I will. Night."

Once Emily ended the call, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and laid back down on the bed.

"How's your mom?" Spencer placed her mug on the nightstand and laid down, next to Emily.

"She's good. She's excited that you're coming back to Texas with me." Emily sunk down into the mattress and put her arm around Spencer's shoulder. "And I'm excited to have them come here to visit me."

"I'm glad I get to go back to Texas with you. And maybe when your parents come up here, we could get together with my parents and all have dinner or something? Unless you think that's weird then we don't have to..."

"Why would that be at all weird?"

"I just didn't know if you'd think it was rushing things to get the parents together so soon."

"Please, my mom was basically trying to marry us off before we were even dating. That's rushing things. But, I think it'd be nice for us all to go out for dinner together."

"Cool." Spencer smiled. "I'll mention it to my dad. I'm sure he'll be on board." The brunette laced her fingers with Emily's. "So...how far away is Texas Tech from your parents' house."

"It's a good five and a half hour drive, so I thought it'd be better for us to just fly into Lubbock. I don't wanna have to spend three hours on a plane, then have to drive another five hours to the hotel."

"That makes sense. I don't want you to be totally exhausted for your speech the next day. I'll check with my parents, maybe we can stay in Texas an extra day or so. Then we wouldn't have to rush home Sunday night."

"That'd be great." Emily smiled. "But, only if your parents are cool with it."

"I'm sure they won't mind. But anyway, this Friday I was thinking of going to Philly to look for something to wear to Melissa's bachelorette party, do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure...wait...I don't have to look for clothes for me, do I?"

"No." Spencer rolled her eyes and laughed. "You can just sit there, watch me try on some stuff and help me pick something out."

"I can do that. I wanted to ask you...I've never actually been to a bachelorette party before. Are you really supposed to bring like a penis themed gift or sex toy or is that something that just happens on TV?"

Spencer laughed. "Not necessarily. Don't worry, you don't have to bring anything."

"But, she invited me. If everyone else is bringing something, I should too. What did you get her?"

"I definitely didn't wanna get her some trashy novelty crap, so I got some nice, classy lingerie. If you really wanna bring something, lingerie would be nice."

"Since we're going shopping on Friday, do you think you can help me pick something?"

"Sure. And I was also thinking, while we're in Philly, maybe we could check out that sex shop just outside the city and look for a strap on?" Spencer gently stroked Emily's hand with her thumb.

"What?" Emily said, surprised.

"You said you were cool with getting a strap on, did you change your mind?"

"No, I'm definitely cool with it, I just thought we'd, you know, like...order something online."

"We could, but we'll have to drive past the shop anyway, why not at least look first? Besides, I like shopping in person."

"Yeah, but, there are so many online shops that have huge selections and..."

"Hold on...are you embarrassed to go into a sex store?" Spencer propped herself up on one elbow and stared at her girlfriend.

"Well...kind of. I've never been to one before. I just...always buy personal stuff like that online. That way I can just be another anonymous order..."

"I've never been to a sex store either, but it's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I just don't want anyone to think I'm some kind of a pervert or something."

"Em, no one's gonna think that. But, if they do, let them think it. They can think I'm a pervert too and then they can be insanely jealous about all the hot sex we're gonna have right before they forget that we even exist."

Emily laughed a little.

"Seriously, it's really not a big deal." Spencer said, reassuringly. "Ever since we talked about getting a strap on, I've been thinking a lot about it."

"Oh yeah? And you really think it'll be hot?"

"Definitely. Are you kidding? So...tell me, are you exclusively a top or do you like receiving too?"

"Actually, I've only ever given, but I really like doing it."

"Are you able to get off when you give or..."

"I can." Emily nodded. "I mean, I don't every time, but it's possible when I'm really into it and everything. Sometimes I'll use a little bit of a warming lube or something to give myself a head start."

"I love that you're so open with talking about sex with me, but you're so shy about going into a sex store."

"It's different talking about sex with just you. We're in a relationship, we should be comfortable enough to talk about this with each other."

"I agree and I'm glad we're so open with each other. I've never felt so comfortable with anyone else before."

Spencer moved closer to Emily and placed her head on the architect's chest.

"I'm glad you feel that way." Emily kissed the top of Spencer's head.

* * *

A few days later

Spencer sat down at a table outside in the courtyard of the school for lunch with both Aria and Hanna.

"Where's Ali?" Aria asked, noticing the blonde wasn't with Spencer.

"I don't know." Spencer shook her head. "I thought she was with you guys."

"Nope. I haven't seen her since third period." Aria said, sitting down across from Spencer.

"Did you see Emily this morning before school?" Spencer asked as Hanna sat down next to her.

"No. She wasn't at my house when I left." Hanna shook her head. "But, have you had a chance to talk to her about getting a toy yet? You haven't mentioned it since we talked about it last week."

"I did get to talk to her about it, actually."

"And has she used one before?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded.

"Told you." Aria and Hanna said in unison as they both made eye contact with Spencer.

"So is she into doing toys with you or what?" Hanna asked.

"She said she's definitely into it. I think we're gonna go to that sex shop near Philly on Friday and look for something."

"That's awesome. You gotta let me tag along." Hanna said. "I'll totally help you guys pick out something."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Em's kinda shy about going..."

"It was just a few days ago that she let a total stranger pierce her nipples, but she's shy about looking at dildos?" Hanna laughed.

"I know. She's just worried that people are gonna think she's a pervert."

"Going to a sex shop doesn't make you a perv." Aria said.

"Yeah. Jerking off in the back room does." Hanna laughed again.

"I told Em not to worry." Spencer shrugged. "We'll go in, look around and hopefully find something good, if not we can always look online."

"You're so lucky. You get to go pick out exactly what you want. Any size you want and tons of different colors. Complete customization." You gotta let me go with you guys. Please. You know I'll find out all the details eventually anyway."

"Well, we're actually going shopping in Philly so I can get a new outfit for Melissa's bachelorette party and I could use your advice."

"I'm so there. Aria, you should come too."

"I can't. I have family dinner night on Friday. You guys wanna do something on Saturday?"

"That's the night of Melissa's party. I'll be in Philly all night. I'm just glad I convinced Emily to go with me."

"What are Melissa and her stuck up friends doing anyway?" Hanna asked.

"The usual bachelorette party stuff. Dinner then a strip club."

"Wait. Emily's willingly gonna go to a male strip club?" Hanna chuckled.

"Yeah. But, she's not crazy about the idea."

"I'm sure. I just can't picture her watching guy strippers." Aria said.

"She's concerned that the strippers might get too flirty with me so she wants to be there, just in case."

"So, she's going to protect you, even though she'll probably be totally miserable the whole time." Aria said. "That's really sweet. Oh and did I tell you that I ran into her a few days ago?"

"No. Where'd you see her?" Spencer asked.

"At the grocery store. You should have seen her, she was getting tampons for you, but she said she had no idea what kind you used and she couldn't get a hold of you, so she had about ten different boxes, fully prepared to buy all of them, hoping she got the right one."

"Oh my God. That's like the cutest thing ever." Hanna said.

"That's what I thought." Aria laughed.

"Aw. Em's so sweet." Spencer smiled.

"You totally have to tell us how the bachelorette party goes." Hanna said. "I almost wish I was going just so I could see Emily's reaction."

* * *

Emily pulled her truck into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Spencer stared out the window and noticed Emily's motorcycle parked next to her Prius.

"When did your bike get delivered?" Spencer asked.

"This morning."

"That's awesome. I can't wait to ride with you again."

"Well, you wanna ride it over to The Grille for dinner?" Emily asked as she parked her truck in its space.

"Totally."

"Cool. Let me run in and grab my helmets and we can go."

As Emily walked into her apartment, Spencer stepped over to the motorcycle. She ran her hand over the seat. She pulled her shirt sleeve down over the heel of her hand and buffed away a small spot on the paint near the seat.

"You ready?" Emily asked when she stepped back outside.

"Yeah. I'm like super excited to get to ride with you again."

"Me too. I'm glad to have my bike up here. I got so used to riding it when I was home, I forgot how much I missed it. I mean now I have to pay my landlord a little more for an extra parking spot, but it's definitely worth it."

"For sure." Spencer said as Emily handed her a helmet.

Emily set her own helmet down on the motorcycle's seat and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She then slipped her own helmet on and checked to make sure that Spencer's fit properly. Emily pulled her key from her pocket and swung one of her legs over the bike and straddled the seat. The architect waited for Spencer to join her. Spencer got on to the bike and settled down into the seat behind Emily. She pressed her body tightly to Emily's back and wrapped her arms securely around the architect's abdomen. Emily started the bike and slightly turned her head to the side.

"You ready?" Emily asked.

"Ready." Spencer tightened her grip around Emily's body as Emily backed the bike out of the parking space.

* * *

Later that evening

Emily slowed down and stopped at the traffic light just a few blocks from the Hastings' house. Emily placed her feet on the ground and smiled to herself when she felt Spencer's hands slide up her chest, unintentionally stimulating her nipple piercings in the process.

When the light turned green, Emily placed her feet back up on the bike and slowly proceeded through the intersection. Once they arrived at the Hastings' house, Emily parked her bike in the driveway and shut off the engine. She waited for Spencer to release her grip and step off of the bike. Emily then swung her leg over the motorcycle seat and removed her helmet.

"You know, I love this thing." Spencer set the helmet she was wearing down on the motorcycle's seat. "I'm not sure if it's getting to sit close and hold onto you or if it's the vibrations or what." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and pulled her close.

"It's definitely the vibrations." Emily laughed, placing her hands on her girlfriend's hips and leaning down to kiss her.

When the kiss was broken, Spencer stared up at Emily.

"You wanna walk me to the door?" Spencer asked.

"You bet." Emily took Spencer's hand in her own as they walked up to the front door.

"Text me before you go to bed, okay?" Spencer slipped her hands up over Emily's shoulders and clasped her fingers behind the architect's neck.

"I will. I promise." Emily placed her hands around Spencer's waist and leaned down capturing Spencer's lips with her own.

Spencer closed her eyes as she felt Emily's tongue brush against her bottom lip. Spencer deepened the kiss and opened her mouth, allowing Emily to slip her tongue inside. A few minutes later, the porch light illuminated and the front door opened. Emily and Spencer both quickly separated.

"Oh, you're home." Peter stepped outside. "Hi, Emily."

"Hi, Mister Hastings." Emily cleared her throat and stared down at her shoes as a rush of heat spread over her face and neck. "Well, I uh, should probably be heading home."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Spencer smiled at her girlfriend.

"Okay. Goodnight, Spence." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer on the cheek.

Emily then looked over at Peter. "Goodnight, sir."

"Goodnight, Emily." Peter smiled.

"Be careful going home." Spencer said.

"I will." Emily nodded.

Spencer and Peter stayed on the porch as Emily walked toward the driveway.

"Emily has a motorcycle?" Peter said, squinting across the yard at the bike parked in the driveway.

"Yes and before you flip out, she's a really good driver and we both wear helmets. It's safe." Spencer rolled her eyes.

Emily then waved at Peter and Spencer before pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street.

"And you're really embarrassing, by the way." Spencer said, half joking. "You already scare poor Emily half to death, do you really need to lurk in the shadows? How long were you spying on us?"

"I wasn't spying." Peter laughed. "I heard someone on the porch, I thought it was your sister. She said she was going to pick up the last of the wedding decorations, I was going to help her bring the stuff in."

"Sure. Likely story, dad." Spencer rolled her eyes. "You just didn't want me to get a goodnight kiss."

"That's not true. But, I suppose it is what it is." Peter laughed.

* * *

It was late afternoon on Friday when Emily finished work for the day at the Marin house. Emily packed up her truck and headed back into the house, where Hanna and Spencer were in the living room.

"Hey Spence, you about ready to go?" Emily asked.

"Whenever you are. We can take my car if you just wanna leave your truck here." Spencer said.

"Okay. I brought extra clothes to change into. Hanna, is it okay if I use your bathroom?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Em, Hanna's gonna tag along with us too." Spencer said.

"Oh, okay." Emily sounded surprised. "I thought we were gonna go to, you know..." She hesitated.

"You're still going to the sex shop." Hanna laughed.

"You told her?" Emily looked over at Spencer.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "It's no big deal."

"Don't you think shopping for that kind of stuff is a little bit...personal?" Emily asked.

"Please." Hanna rolled her eyes. "Em, whether I see what you guys buy or not, Spencer's gonna give me all the dirty details eventually anyway. So does it really matter?"

"I guess not..."

"Good. Maybe I'll even buy something for myself, so you'll know what I use, then we'll all be even." Hanna said. "Now, go change your clothes so we can go."

* * *

When they arrived at the sex store, Emily pulled Spencer's Mercedes into the parking lot and turned the car off.

"What are you waiting for?" Spencer glanced over to the driver's seat at her girlfriend.

"What if like your mom or dad drives by and they see your car parked here or..."

"Em, they won't, okay." Spencer reached over and took her girlfriend's hand. "Stop being so paranoid."

Hanna got out of the back seat and waited for Emily and Spencer to get out of the car. The three of them then walked toward the door. Hanna first, followed by Spencer with Emily's hand in her own. When they entered the store, Emily's eyes darted all around the room. There was a short, middle aged woman behind the counter waiting on two younger women.

"I'm going to the vibrators." Hanna said casually as she began walking to the left of the store.

"Come on." Spencer placed her hand on the small of Emily's back and gently moved it up and down as they followed Hanna across the store.

As they walked across the store, Emily looked around at all of the merchandise.

"I don't even know what some of this stuff is for." Emily blushed a little. "Or how some of this stuff would fit..."

Spencer and Hanna both laughed.

"What vibrator should I buy, Spence?" Hanna asked, her eyes roaming all over the wall full of toys.

"How about this one?" Spencer took a package off the wall containing a four inch long purple vibrator. "It's pretty basic and water proof."

"I don't think so...my mom has that one." Hanna said, nonchalantly. "I love my mom, but matching vibrators would be a little weird."

"Good point." Spencer hung the package back on the wall.

"Besides, I think I might want to go with something a little more realistic."

"You know that your mom has a vibrator?" Emily asked. "Do you guys like talk about that kind of stuff or..."

"No, I saw it once by accident in her bathroom."

Once the saleswoman was finished with her other customers, she walked across the store to Emily, Hanna and Spencer.

"Hi, there. Can I help you ladies find anything?" The woman asked.

"Oh, I uh, we were just..." Emily stuttered a little, avoiding the woman's gaze.

"I sense someone's a little uneasy. Is this your first time in a sex shop?"

"Yes." Emily nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

"A little." The woman laughed. "But, there's no need to be embarrassed. Was there something specific I can help you find?"

"We were actually looking to buy a strap on." Spencer placed her arm around Emily's waist. "Right?"

"Right." Emily blushed and nodded.

"Oh great. We have a pretty nice selection over here. Follow me...now, is this the first time you're trying a strap on?"

"It is for me." Spencer said. "She's used one before, but I'm totally new to this."

"All right. We've got some great stuff for beginners. We have all kinds of sizes and girths. Just about anything you could want. We have a couple of different styles of harnesses. Personally, I'd recommend something like this." The woman took a package containing a harness off of the shelf. "It's adjustable and I think these usually tend to fit a little better than some other models, so you'll get more control and these also allow for added stimulation for the wearer."

"Are you okay with wearing something like this?" Spencer asked. "It looks like it'd be pretty comfortable."

"Yeah. I think so." Emily nodded. "I like this style."

"Another nice thing about this particular harness is that it can accommodate lots of different toys, so you can change it up if you want to, but you won't need to buy another harness."

A minute later Hanna walked over to where Emily and Spencer were standing with the saleswoman.

"Did you find something?" The saleswoman asked Hanna.

"Yeah, actually I like this one." Hanna held up a relatively realistic looking vibrator. "Does it come in any other colors?"

"It does. I think we have some purple and green ones in the back."

"I'll take purple if you've got one."

"Sure, let me go look." The saleswoman then focused her attention back to Emily and Spencer. "Why don't you two browse a bit and talk things over? I'll be right back."

"Okay. Thank you." Spencer said.

"So what size toy do you think we should get, Em?" Spencer asked.

"I wanna leave that totally up to you. I want you to pick something that you think you'll be comfortable with. But, maybe since this is the first time we should start on the smaller end...but again it's totally up to you."

"Please. Go big or go home." Hanna smirked.

"I always thought size didn't make that much of a difference." Emily said.

"It doesn't really." Hanna said. "It's all about how you use it. But, looking at a tiny dick isn't nearly as much fun as looking at a big one." She laughed.

Emily chuckled a little. "Well, I'm not saying pick something tiny. "Emily turned to Spencer. "It's just that, you're not, you know...very big...down there. Or in general, really." Emily said. "I just want you to be comfortable. I don't want you to think you need to pick the biggest thing here..."

"I've seen the biggest thing here." Hanna said. "It's on that shelf over there." She pointed over her shoulder. "It's this long." Hanna gestured with her hands. "And about as big around as Em's bicep." She laughed. "But, muscles stretch, so I say go for it."

Spencer burst out laughing. "I don't think we'll be trying anything that big. I just want something in the middle."

"How about something like this?" Hanna picked up a package and handed it to Spencer. "It says eight inches. It's not small, but it's not huge either."

"I like it." Spencer took the package from Hanna. "I think this would be perfect for us. What do you think, Em?"

"I think that's a good choice, but...can we get the red one?"

"Sure." Spencer reached over and took the same toy off of the shelf only in red.

"So Em..." Hanna said.

"Yeah?"

"You said you've used a strap on before, ever had a BJ?" Hanna asked.

"Um...I uh..." Emily blushed and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It's not a hard question." Hanna placed her hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Well, have you?" Spencer asked curiously.

"No. Never." Emily shook her head.

"Good. I'll make sure to teach Spence how to put on a really good show."

Emily squeezed her eyes closed as her skin reddened even more. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Here you go." The saleswoman returned and gave Hanna the vibrator she requested.

"Thanks."

"Did you girls find something?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna go with this." Spencer handed the package containing the toy to the woman.

"This is a good one. It's pretty flexible and great for the first timer. I think you'll like it a lot."

"So...are you supposed to put a condom on it or..." Spencer asked.

"You can." The woman nodded. "It helps keep things a little cleaner, but as long as you clean it properly, you don't have to use a condom. It's more so a preference thing. We have a bunch of condoms up front though if you did want to get some."

"So, are we ready to pay for this stuff?" Emily asked.

"Poor thing. Just can't wait to get out of here, can you?" The saleswoman laughed.

"It's nothing against you or anything, I just..." Emily stuttered.

"I totally understand. I get people just like you in here all the time. Come on, I'll ring you girls up."

"Thank you." Emily said as she began walking toward the front of the store.

"See was that honestly so bad?" Spencer said as they walked out of the store.

"I mean, it wasn't as bad as I thought, but it was still kinda embarrassing."

"But, don't act like you're not happy you went." Hanna said. "I know you're just as excited as Spencer is to use your new toy. I know I can't wait to try out my new little friend. So, Spence you gonna sleep over with Em tonight?" Hanna raised her eyebrows at her friend.

"I wish I could. But, after I find something to wear for tomorrow. I gotta get home. Melissa's gone into Bridezilla overdrive and I told her I'd help with the final wedding preparations. I want everything to be perfect because I really don't wanna have to deal with her if everything doesn't go smoothly."

* * *

It was late Saturday afternoon when Emily had finished working. She was on her way back to her apartment when her phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed it was Spencer calling.

"Hey Spence, what's up?" Emily said accepting the call.

"I just wanted to see if you were done at work."

"Yep. I'm on my way home now. I'm gonna shower and change, head to church, then I'll be over to pick you up."

"You're going to church tonight?"

"Yeah. Since we're staying in Philly overnight, I won't be able to go tomorrow morning so I thought I'd go to the Saturday evening mass. I should be out of church by six, so that should give us plenty of time to get to Philly."

"Sounds good. You wouldn't mind driving Melissa and I would you? We'll meet everyone at the hotel and take the limo to dinner?"

"Works for me. I'll see you guys shortly, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Em."

* * *

Later that evening, Emily, Melissa and Spencer all arrived at their hotel.

"So, what exactly are the sleeping arrangements anyway?" Emily asked as they approached the counter.

"I called and changed our reservations so that you and I could have our own room."

"Cool. How many people are gonna be at the party?"

"There should be just ten of us total." Spencer said. "We didn't invite a whole lot of people to the bachelorette party."

"CeCe just texted me. She said she'll be here in five minutes." Melissa said, looking up from her phone.

"We may as well just hang out down here until she gets here then." Spencer said. "Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Yeah. About fifteen minutes ago Bridget said she and Casey were on their way over from the airport, so they should be here any minute and the other girls are already here and checked in. They're getting ready."

"Em, are these new jeans?" Spencer asked, touching Emily's thigh as she looked at her legs up and down.

"Yeah, I bought them awhile ago but just haven't worn them yet."

"I like them. You don't usually wear skinny jeans."

"I don't, but I remember you telling me that I should get some, so I did."

"You should listen to me more often. Your butt looks great."

"Really?" Emily smirked.

"Totally."

It was only a matter of a few minutes later that Melissa spotted her cousins walking into the hotel's lobby. Upon noticing Melissa, Bridget and Casey both approached Emily, Melissa and Spencer.

"Hey, Melissa." Bridget leaned in and hugged her cousin. "How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you?"

"Pretty good. It's really nice to see you guys."

"Hey, Spence." Bridget then hugged Spencer.

"Hey. I'm glad you guys could come." Spencer said.

"Hey, Casey." Melissa leaned in and hugged her other cousin. "How was your trip?"

"Not bad. It was pretty quick." Casey shifted her bag on her shoulder. "How's it going, Spence?" The brunette turned to her cousin.

"It's going."

"You getting wasted tonight or what?" Casey laughed.

"No, I'm not gonna get wasted." Spencer shook her head. "Just a couple of drinks."

"Now, you we haven't met." Bridget looked over at Emily. "I'm Bridget. You're Emily, right?"

"Emily Fields." Emily nodded. "I'm Spencer's girlfriend. It's really nice to meet you."

"You too. God, you and Spencer make the cutest couple ever." Bridget said. "You're coming to the wedding next week, right?"

"Yep. I'll be there. I'm looking forward to it."

"Damn. You're way hotter in person than in the picture we saw at Thanksgiving." Casey said as she slowly eyed Emily up and down.

"Oh. Thank you." Emily smiled a little.

"Jealous?" Spencer smirked at Casey and wrapped her arms around the architect's waist.

"A little bit, actually. She's pretty much perfect."

"Is everyone else here already?" Bridget asked.

"Everyone except CeCe." Melissa said. "She's on her way."

After a few minutes, CeCe entered the hotel. She quickly noticed Melissa in the lobby and headed over toward the group.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm a little bit late. I got tied up at work."

Emily looked at CeCe and immediately recognized the blonde although it had been over a year since they had met. She hoped that CeCe wouldn't remember her.

"I thought you didn't work on Saturdays." Spencer said.

"I don't usually. But, one of my investors was having a major crisis with his stock portfolio, so he insisted on meeting with me. It just took longer than I expected."

"CeCe, this is Spencer's girlfriend, Emily." Melissa said.

"Hi, I've heard a lot about you." CeCe looked up at the architect.

"It's really nice to meet you." Emily forced herself to look the blonde in the eyes.

"Have we ever met before?" CeCe asked. "You look so familiar for some reason."

"I don't think so." Emily said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Rosewood's a pretty small town. Maybe you've seen Emily around." Melissa said.

"Maybe." CeCe shrugged.

"We should probably take our stuff up to our rooms, the limo will be here soon." Spencer said.

"I need to freshen up anyway." Melissa said.

"Did anyone happen to bring a curling iron?" CeCe asked.

"I've got one." Bridget said.

"Would you mind if I borrowed it? I totally forgot to grab mine."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks."

Spencer took Emily's hand as they followed Melissa and CeCe toward the elevator while Bridget and Casey lagged a little bit behind.

"Even her ass is perfect." Casey said, her eyes wandering down to Emily's backside. "How can anyone possibly look that good walking away?"

"God Casey, put it back in your pants, would ya?" Bridget rolled her eyes. "You're like a dog in heat."

"What? It's not my fault that Emily's a total stud."

"She has a girlfriend. She's dating our cousin, remember? If she was single, I'd tell you to go for it, but she isn't."

"I know. But, I'm at least allowed to look."

When Emily and Spencer arrived at their room, Spencer swiped the keycard through the door and pushed it open.

Emily set Spencer's bag and her own bag down on the chair, near the bed. Emily then flopped down on her back onto the bed.

"Don't you have anything to unpack?" Spencer asked as she unzipped her own duffle bag.

"Not really. There's literally a shirt, underwear, a pair of socks, deodorant, a toothbrush and your sister's gift in my bag. That's all I brought."

"It must be nice to wake up, shower and just put clothes on." Spencer got onto the bed and straddled Emily's waist. "Never have to worry about doing your hair or putting on any make up and you still look perfect every single day."

"You don't have to wear make up or do anything with your hair though. You're already beautiful just the way you are." Emily reached up and placed her hand on Spencer's cheek. "And I love you regardless."

"You're really sweet." Spencer laid down on top of Emily and kissed her.

As they kissed, Emily rolled over, flipping Spencer onto her back. When Emily eventually broke the kiss, she moved lower and began slowly kissing Spencer's neck and chest. Spencer moaned softly when she felt Emily gently suck on her pulse point.

"Em, I really have to get ready." Spencer choked out. "The limo's gonna be here in like fifteen minutes."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I only need like five minutes. Maybe even less." Emily laughed.

"Yeah, but you'll still get all hot and sweaty and need a shower."

"That's probably true." Emily sighed.

Spencer rolled out from underneath her girlfriend and went back to her bag. She unpacked her make up and walked over to the mirror.

"So, you excited to see some strippers tonight?" Spencer asked as she took the cap off of her tube of mascara.

"Oh yeah. I can't wait." Emily said sarcastically, laying back down and placing her hands behind her head as she waited for Spencer to get ready.

* * *

It wasn't long until the party guests all gathered outside the hotel to get into the limo. Once Melissa introduced her cousins and Emily to her other fiends, everyone piled into the huge, black stretch limousine. Emily got into the car, next to her girlfriend and Casey squeezed in next to her, practically sitting on her lap.

"Sorry, do you need a little more space?" Emily looked over at Casey. "I can move over some more."

"Nope. You're good." Casey smirked. "I'm starving, where are we eating?"

"Vetri. It's my favorite Italian place." Melissa said. "Have you guys ever been there?" She looked across the car at Casey, then over to Bridget who was sitting next to her sister.

"I don't think so." Bridget said.

"We've got some time until we get to the restaurant." CeCe said. "Who wants a drink?"

"Definitely me." Casey said. "I need it."

"I hear that." CeCe reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of very expensive champagne.

CeCe carefully opened the bottle and passed the glasses around as she filled them.

"Mel, why don't you open your gifts?" The brunette seated to Melissa's left said as she handed her a pink gift bag.

"Good idea. Thank you." Melissa said, taking the bag from her friend.

Melissa pushed aside the pink tissue paper and pulled out a box, containing a six inch long pink vibrator.

"I thought you could use something for those long, lonely nights when Doctor Wren has to work the graveyard shift." Melissa's friend said.

"Thanks." Melissa laughed. "With his schedule, I'm sure there'll be a lot of those nights."

"This is a good one." CeCe said, taking the box from Melissa. "Good thing it has ten speeds because from what I've heard, the size doesn't even compare to the doctor. Luckily, I got you this." CeCe handed Melissa a blue bag.

Melissa opened the bag and pulled out CeCe's gift, a very realistic looking ten inch long dildo.

"That should feel more like what you're used to." CeCe said, matter-of-factly.

"Thanks, CeCe." Melissa laughed.

Emily blushed a little, while Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Please. Big cocks are totally overrated." Casey snorted. "You can get the job done twice as fast with one of these." Casey said, handing her own gift to Melissa.

Melissa reached into the bag and pulled out a small, yet very powerful multi-speed bullet vibrator.

"This little guy's a total Godsend." Casey said, taking a sip of her champagne. "Makes me come in a minute flat and gets me off way better than any guy's ever been able to."

For the next few minutes, Emily sat quietly, sipping on her champagne with her hand in Spencer's as she watched Melissa continue to open the rest of her gifts.

"Here's one from me." Emily unlaced her fingers from Spencer's and handed Melissa that bag at her feet.

"You didn't have to get me anything." Melissa said, surprised.

"I wanted to. I hope you like it." Emily smiled.

Melissa reached into the bag and pulled out a light blue silk, spaghetti strap baby doll trimmed with lace.

"Emily, this is really pretty." Melissa said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I had a little help picking it out."

"Thanks, Spence." Melissa laughed looking across the car at her younger sister.

"Okay, this is seriously driving me nuts." CeCe stared straight ahead at Emily. "I know that I know you from somewhere. I just don't know from where."

"You've probably seen her before and were totally rude to her or something so now you're feeling guilty." Spencer said.

"I don't think that's it." CeCe laughed. "How do I know you? This is so annoying. Have you ever done any investing? Do you have any stocks or anything that we could have talked about at some point?"

"Nope." Emily shook her head, avoiding CeCe's eyes. "I've never done any investing at all."

"Do you want to? You're an architect, you've got a lot of money, right?"

"I uh..."

"Okay, now that's rude." Spencer said. "You can't just ask people how much money they have."

"Sure, you can. I have to do it all the time." CeCe countered.

"Yeah, when you're at work." Spencer said. "That's different."

"Melissa, you should probably finish opening your gifts, we're almost at the restaurant." One of Melissa's friends said.

* * *

Later that evening, after dinner, everyone piled back into the limo.

"Anyone want some more champagne?" Melissa asked, reaching across CeCe's body into the fridge.

"Hell yeah." CeCe said. "There's a couple of bottles left. May as well finish it. We have like a forty five minute ride to the strip club."

Once everyone had another glass of champagne, CeCe settled back down into her seat. She raised her glass to her lips and again focused her attention on Emily.

"Oh my God. I just figured out how I know you." CeCe laughed.

Emily didn't say anything, but just bit her lip waiting for CeCe to speak.

"Thank God." Melissa said. "You're driving us all crazy trying to figure it out. How do you know Emily?"

"You." CeCe pointed at the architect. "Hit on me at the bar a long time ago. And tried to get me to go home with you."

"I uh...I..." Emily squeezed her eyes shut as her skin reddened.

"You slept with CeCe?" Spencer said in a very annoyed tone of voice.

"Hey, I said she tried to take me home. I didn't say she succeeded."

"Wait is Emily the girl you said hit on you with all the lame pick up lines while I was in the bathroom?" Melissa burst out laughing.

"Yes! It was definitely you. I'm one hundred percent sure of it." CeCe laughed. "You asked to buy me a drink and bragged about how you could go all night long. Then you promised to give me the best sex of my life."

"Hey, there are worse pick up lines." Bridget said. "Just be thankful she's not a guy, there's this architect who comes into my office all the time and every single time he always asks if I wanna see his 'huge erection.'" Bridget made air quotes. "So lame."

By this time everyone in the car was laughing, even Spencer.

"God." Emily clenched her teeth and sunk down into her seat. "I'm really sorry about what I said…I just..."

"No need to be sorry. Honey, it's good to aim high." CeCe said, raising her champagne glass to her lips again. "And if I didn't like dick so much, I might've considered giving you a chance. Five minutes later and she might've been hitting on you, Mel." CeCe laughed, elbowing Melissa in the ribs.

"How did you not know it was the same girl when Melissa and I were talking about her friend CeCe?" Spencer said. "It's not like CeCe is a common name."

"She told me her name was Charlotte." Emily said. "How was I supposed to know it was the same girl?"

"I didn't just tell you that." CeCe said. "That is my name. I just usually go by CeCe for short."

"I can't believe you actually hit on CeCe." Spencer shook her head. "What would even possess you to…"

"I saw her across the bar and she reminded me of Stephanie." Emily blurted out.

"Who's Stephanie?" Bridget asked.

"Emily's ex." Spencer replied.

"Wait, you tried to get me into bed because I look like your ex girlfriend?" CeCe asked. "You were actually gonna have sex with me so that during you could think about this Stephanie girl? That's kind of an asshole move, don't you think?"

"I agree with you. Obviously, I wasn't in the best state of mind. She broke my heart. At that time, I was lonely and I missed her...I was stupid."

"You poor baby." Casey reached up and ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "She must have been a total bitch to dump you. I mean was she blind?"

"If she actually looks at all like me, we at least know she's hot." CeCe said.

"You don't still think Stephanie's hot, do you?" Spencer asked, sarcastically, though Emily didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

"No." Emily shook her head. "I've told you I'm not attracted to her anymore."

"Wait so if you don't think she's hot and I apparently look like her are you trying to say you don't think I'm pretty?" CeCe joked.

"I didn't say that...I just...I..." Emily swallowed the lump in her throat. "I…I…think you're very pretty..."

"So if CeCe's pretty then you must still think Stephanie's pretty." Spencer feigned annoyance. "You just keep digging yourself a deeper hole, Em."

"Oh God...I...just...I..." Emily stumbled over her words.

Spencer then burst out laughing. "Relax, babe. We're just messing with you."

Emily breathed an audible sigh of relief. "So, this party is supposed to be for Melissa, shouldn't we be focusing on her?" Emily said, trying desperately to change the subject.

"Did you guys go to the website and see how hot these strippers are?" Melissa's friend, a redhead seated across from Spencer said, helping to take the attention off of a very embarrassed Emily.

"I know, right?" Bridget said. "We're gonna have a great time."

* * *

Later that night.

Emily sat awkwardly with a bottle of beer in her hand as she watched a very buff, well-endowed male stripper straddle Melissa's lap as he gave her a lap dance. Melissa and CeCe both reached up and slipped a few dollar bills into his G-string.

"See this isn't so bad." Spencer took a sip from her drink and looked over at Emily.

"It's a dream come true." Emily laughed as she took another drink from her beer bottle.

Once the stripper was finished with Melissa's lap dance, one of Melissa's friends handed her another drink.

"We should definitely do that again." A tipsy Melissa said, taking a sip from the drink she had just received. "Someone get another guy over here."

"We will. Don't worry." CeCe said. "We've got all night."

"I'll pay for a lap dance for you too, Emily." CeCe laughed, glancing over at the architect.

"Um, no thanks. I'm good."

"So, this really isn't doing anything at all for you?" CeCe asked.

"Nope. Not even a little tingle." Emily said matter-of-factly.

"You must really be gay." CeCe said.

"I am." Emily nodded as she raised her beer bottle to her lips and tossed back the rest of her drink.

"I say forget these guys." An intoxicated Casey said. "How many dollars do I have to stuff down your pants to see you pop, lock and drop it?" Casey linked her hands around Emily's upper arm.

"Shut up Casey." A very tipsy Spencer blurted out.

"What? Your girlfriend's sexy as fuck. I'm just saying I'd be more than willing to put a shit ton of dollars in her G-string." Casey slowly moved her hand up Emily's thigh.

"Okay, that's it. Switch me places." Spencer said, her jealously getting the best of her.

Spencer stood up, moved across Emily's lap and plopped back down on the padded bench in between Emily and Casey. "You've been hitting on her all night and I'm getting sick of it."

"She's mine." Spencer grabbed Emily's shirt and roughly kissed her.

When the kiss was broken, Emily found herself unable to control the smirk on her face.

"Spencer, stop being so sensitive about every little one of Casey's stupid sexual comments." CeCe said. "And Casey stop being such a slut."

Spencer rolled her eyes and shifted her position so that she was sitting on Emily's lap. Spencer slid her hands up over Emily's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her again.

"I'm going for another drink." Casey stood up and walked off toward the bar.

Spencer quickly slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth and the architect immediately tasted the strong flavor of vodka.

"You think you've had a little too much to drink, babe?" Emily asked when the kiss was broken again.

"I only had a little." Spencer giggled. "The glass is only this big. Teeny, tiny."

"I know, baby, but when you refill that teeny, tiny glass ten times, it's a lot." Emily laughed.

"No...only a little." Spencer slurred. "And I love it when you call me baby." Spencer said huskily.

Spencer leaned in again and hungrily attacked Emily's lips with her own. After a few minutes, Spencer broke the kiss and placed her hand on Emily's chest.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Spencer said. "I'll be right back."

"Are you okay? You want me to walk over with you?" Emily asked.

"I'm fine. I just need to pee." Spencer kissed Emily one more time.

"Okay." Emily nodded.

A few minutes later Casey returned with a fresh drink in her hand.

"Where'd Spencer go?" Casey asked.

"Bathroom." Emily replied.

"Oh, well, you know that they say. Shuffle your feet, lose your seat." Casey said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and sat down across her lap.

"No, no, no. This is a bad idea." Emily stood up and lifted Casey up in the process.

Emily then gently set Casey back down on the bench that they all had been sitting on.

"You're so strong." Casey reached up and placed her hands on Emily's arms. "That's really hot." She squeezed the architect's muscles.

"I'll…uh…be right back." Emily said.

"Where are you going?" Casey asked.

"I just wanna check on Spencer."

Emily then began walking toward the restrooms. She was about half way across the room when she noticed her girlfriend seated in a chair near the stage receiving a lap dance from a tall, tan skinned stripper with short jet black hair. He was dressed in a construction worker's outfit. He was shirtless, had pierced nipples and a tattoo all the way down his arm from shoulder to wrist. He wore short, cut off denim shorts, work boots, a brown tool belt and a yellow hard hat. Emily stood in place, clenching her jaw as she watched Spencer's fingers wander all over his perfectly defined, oiled up, rock hard abdominal muscles. When Emily regained her composure, she continued walking over to where her girlfriend was sitting.

"I thought you were going to the bathroom." Emily said, approaching her girlfriend.

"I did. But, I ran into him on the way back." Spencer slurred her speech a little. "Can you do that thing with your chest again?" Spencer looked up at the stripper with heavy eyes.

He smiled and flexed his pectoral muscles so that they bounced up and down. Emily watched his name tag sticker which read "Mr. Fix It," bounce along with his large, defined chest muscles.

"Isn't that cool?" Spencer giggled.

"Great." Emily said sarcastically, glaring at the man standing in front of her.

Emily gritted her teeth, beganing to feel extremely self conscious of her own body as she watched Spencer continue to eye up the stripper's hard, chiseled muscles.

"You can be next. Why don't you have a seat, honey." The stripper said.

"Why don't you get lost?" Emily snapped.

"All right then. I'll take that as a no." The stripper was a little taken aback, but he shrugged and walked off.

"Come with me to the bar...I wanna get another drink." Spencer stood up and took Emily's hand.

"I think you've had plenty to drink already and it's late. Why don't we head back to the hotel?"

"Works for me." Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders and kissed her.

"I'll call us a cab."

Emily and Spencer headed back over to where Melissa and her friends were seated.

"Hey, we were looking for you guys." Melissa said. "We're gonna head over to that club across the street in a little bit."

"Spence and I are gonna catch a cab back to the hotel. But, you guys have a good time." Emily said.

"Okay. I'm glad you came with us, Em." Melissa said. "Thank you for the lingerie too. I love it."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

Melissa reached up and extended her arms, prompting Emily to lean down for a hug.

"We'll see you guys in the morning." Melissa said. "And Spence, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Melissa winked at her younger sister.

"Oh there's a lot I plan on doing when we get back to the hotel." Spencer smirked. "Like, all of this." She motioned to Emily.

"All right, let's go." Emily placed her arm around Spencer's waist.

"She can't even wait another minute." Spencer raised her eyebrows, smirking at Melissa.

* * *

When they arrived back at their room, Emily pulled the keycard out of her pocket and opened the door, despite the fact that Spencer was hanging all over her.

"Did you bring clothes to sleep in?" Emily asked.

"I did. But, I don't need them." Spencer slid her hands up Emily's chest and began to undo the buttons on the architect's shirt.

Spencer then gripped Emily's belt buckle and undid the prong from the hole.

"Take your pants off." Spencer said, just before her lips connected with Emily's neck.

"Babe, you just need to get some sleep, okay?"

"I'm not even tired." Spencer whined. "I just want you to fuck me." Spencer slid her hands up over Emily's bare abdomen.

"Not tonight." Emily shook her head.

"Why not? I'll go down on you first…"

"Not while you're drunk. Lay down, I'll get you something to sleep in."

"Fine." Spencer groaned as she flopped down onto the bed.

Emily picked up Spencer's bag and pulled out the pair of shorts and t shirt that Spencer had packed for herself. When Emily walked back over to the bed, she found that Spencer was already fast asleep on her back. Emily chuckled to herself and tossed the clothes in her hand back onto Spencer's bag. She then took Spencer's shoes off and dropped them onto the floor. Emily gently rolled her girlfriend onto her side.

Emily took her own shoes off and stripped down to just her underwear before getting into bed next to Spencer. Emily protectively wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, spooning her.

"Hey, Em?" Spencer mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Spencer said, nestling her body back against Emily's.

"I love you too, Spence." Emily said as she gently placed a kiss to Spencer's neck.

 

 


	85. Chapter 85

The next morning.

Emily slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Spencer who was sprawled out on her back across half of the bed. Emily slipped out of bed and headed into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Spencer began to stir, she swept her hand across the surface of the bed, sat up and opened her eyes when she didn't feel Emily lying next to her.

"Em?" Spencer said rubbing her eyes.

"Good. You're up." Emily said, walking out of the bathroom.

Spencer stared across the room at her girlfriend, who was wearing nothing more than the black sports bra and pair of black and white striped boy short underwear that she had slept in.

"How do you feel?" Emily asked.

"I'm okay. I guess I was too tired to change clothes." Spencer said, noticing that she was still fully clothed from the night before.

"Yeah. You pretty much passed out the second you laid down." Emily walked over to the bed.

"Well...I'm fully awake now." Spencer knelt on the bed gently tugged Emily's underwear down slightly, so that they were now riding dangerously low on the architect's hips.

Spencer placed her hands on Emily's hips and slowly slid them upward and over her girlfriend's hard abdominal muscles.

"Come back to bed." Spencer took Emily's hand and tugged on it.

Emily flopped down onto her back and Spencer climbed on top of her. Spencer leaned down and pressed her lips to the architect's. As they kissed, Spencer quickly got the impression that Emily wasn't as interested in the kiss as she was. Spencer broke the kiss and stared down at her girlfriend.

"Is something wrong?" Spencer asked. "Is my breath really nasty or..." Spencer cupped her hand over her nose and mouth and inhaled.

"No, not at all." Emily said. "I'm just not really in the mood."

Spencer sighed and laid back down on the bed. She rolled over on her side to face Emily.

"Something's bothering you." Spencer said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Emily said.

"I can tell you're lying. Now, tell me what's wrong. Please?"

"It's stupid, but…I just can't stop thinking about last night." Emily absently stared up at the ceiling.

"Babe, CeCe was just teasing you. She didn't mean anything by it."

"It's not about CeCe. I keep thinking about you and that stripper from the club. I know it shouldn't bother me, but I just got so jealous when I saw you with your hands all over him. You seemed so into it. I mean you saw all of his muscles...how am I ever supposed to measure up to that?"

"You don't need to. So what if he had some nice muscles? So do you. Besides, it's his job to work on his body and flirt with the clients. But, to be perfectly honest, I'd always take you over some muscle head any day."

"You're just saying that." Emily glanced over at her girlfriend.

"No. You're built way better. I love that you've got both muscle and curves. It's the best of both worlds. Not to mention you have this totally sexy v-shape thing going on." Spencer gently traced the two muscled grooves on either side of Emily's hips with her fingers. "This gets me going every time."

"Really?" Emily couldn't help but smile a little.

"God, yes. Are you kidding? The first time I ever saw you shirtless, it took every bit of will power I had to keep my hands off of you. And it also didn't help that you were in a towel and dripping wet at the time."

"Oh, that time at my apartment right before we went to that youth group meeting at my church?"

"Yep. Were you purposely trying to tease me that night?"

"Not at all." Emily shook her head. "I honestly had no idea you even liked me."

"Well, it's almost eight months since then and I still like you, love you, actually." Spencer leaned over and kissed Emily on the cheek. "So please don't feel bad, last night didn't mean anything, okay? You saw Melissa with all of those strippers and you know she loves Wren. It was just fun, that's all. It's not like she'd ever cheat on Wren and I'd never cheat on you."

"I just…"

"Honestly, I never even planned on getting a lap dance at all, but I was drunk and I think the only reason I stopped was that when I saw that guy, he reminded me a lot of you."

"Me? Seriously?"

"Well, yeah. He had the same gorgeous tan skin and dark hair, nipple piercings, tattoos and that whole construction worker motif. I didn't even give a second look to any of the other strippers, but that construction guy was so much like you and his name tag even said 'Mister Fix It.' That's what Hanna calls you...I mean she calls you 'Miss Fix It,' but you get the idea..."

"Hanna calls me that?" Emily laughed.

"All the time." Spencer cuddled up next to Emily and laid her head on the architect's chest. "Listen, I'm really sorry that I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean to. That's the last thing I ever want…"

"It's okay. I just worry sometimes. I've already lost a girlfriend to a guy before so that's always kinda stuck in the back of my mind, you know? I don't wanna eventually lose you to a guy too. Especially being that you've never really been with a guy before."

"Neither have you. Do you think you'd ever consider changing teams?" Spencer asked.

"Definitely not." Emily shook her head.

"I wouldn't either. I can appreciate a hot guy, but it doesn't mean I wanna date him or sleep with him. Stephanie might have been confused about what she wanted, but I'm not. Not even a little bit."

"Thanks." Emily smiled to herself.

"I gotta admit though, you getting all jealous and protective of me was super hot." Spencer said. "I love that you're so loyal. But now, I'm gonna tell you something embarrassing that I've never told you before because I think it'll help you feel better."

"What is it?" Emily sat up and rolled over, propping herself up on one elbow and looking over at Spencer.

"After I first met you, I had this dream...actually, I've had a similar dream a few times...it always starts the same...I come downstairs to my kitchen and you're standing there, leaning against the counter with your arms folded across your chest, completely naked except for your tool belt and work boots."

"Really?" Emily smirked. "Then what happens?"

"You basically tell me that you caught me checking you out." Spencer blushed as she replayed the dream in her mind. "And you know that I'm into you. I walk closer and you kiss me."

"Then what happens?" Emily asked anxiously. "Tell me."

Spencer's skin flushed an even darker shade of red and she pulled the blanket up over her face

"Come on." Emily straddled Spencer's waist and pulled the blanket down from her face. "What else happens?"

"We go upstairs together and get into bed, but just as things really start to get good, I always wake up, sweating and really hot."

"Been there. That'll give you some serious morning wood." Emily laughed.

"You're not kidding." Spencer agreed. "So now that I've totally embarrassed myself, do you feel any better? I swear last night was just drunk me having some fun and imagining sober me's fantasies."

"I can definitely make that fantasy come true." Emily leaned down and placed a kiss to Spencer's lips.

"I really wish you would." Spencer mumbled into the kiss.

"We should probably stick to my apartment though. Your dad would kill me if he ever caught us in bed together."

"We'll just have to wait until my parents go away on a business trip or something. But, I can't believe you would ever be even a little insecure. I remember I was all over you when we got back here last night, I practically begged you to fuck me, but you wouldn't do it."

"You're a pretty horny drunk, that's for sure." Emily laughed. "But, I didn't wanna fuck you. Not drunk, not even sober...I'd much rather make love to you instead."

"Aw, a player like you would rather make love to a girl instead of fuck her? I guess I've really softened you, huh?" Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek.

"No arguing with that." Emily smiled. "It happens."

Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head and pulled her down for a kiss. Spencer closed her eyes as she felt Emily's tongue dip into her open mouth. Spencer gripped the architect's shoulders as Emily's tongue worked against her own.

As they kissed, Spencer's hands slowly slid downward from Emily's shoulders, down her back until she reached the hem of her underwear. Just as Spencer began sliding Emily's shorts down her hips, both girls heard a knock at the door.

"I'll see who it is." Emily broke the kiss and looked over at the door as she pulled her underwear back up over her backside.

"No, I'll go." Spencer slid out from under Emily's body. "If it's Casey and she catches a glimpse of you in just your underwear, I'll probably need a hose and a crow bar to pry her off you."

Emily chuckled as she flopped back down on the bed and pulled the blanket up over her body. Spencer opened the door to find Melissa standing on the other side.

"Morning." Melissa said walking into the room. "Rough night?" Her eyes wandered up and down over Spencer's disheveled clothing.

Melissa then glanced over at the bed, where Emily was lying with the blanket pulled up to her neck.

"You're not naked under there, right?" Melissa said, her eyes meeting Emily's.

"No." Emily shook her head.

"Okay. Good."

"So...why are you up already?" Spencer asked. "I thought you'd be passed out until at least noon."

"We're all gonna go out for brunch before Bridget and Casey head back to New York. You guys wanna come?"

"You hungry, Em?" Spencer looked over at her girlfriend.

"Yeah, sure. I could eat."

"Okay. Let's all meet up in the lobby in about forty five minutes then." Melissa said. "I'll need a little bit of time to get CeCe up and moving, but that should give us all enough time to get ready."

"Works for me." Spencer said. "I'm gonna get a shower."

Melissa then walked out and headed back over to her own room.

"So, what part of New York are your cousins from?" Emily asked.

"New York City. Manhattan area. Casey goes to Columbia University and Bridget works at a law firm near by."

"Cool. But, why did they fly here? Philly's less than a two hour drive from New York."

"They flew in from Vermont. That's where their parents live, but they're taking a train back to New York."

"Oh. Gotcha." Emily nodded.

"Have you ever been to New York City?" Spencer asked.

"Nope. Never. I've always wanted to visit though."

"We can go together some time, but we probably shouldn't stay with Bridget and Casey. Its bad enough that I already promised Casey a dance with you at Melissa's wedding, I don't want you on her home turf." Spencer laughed.

"Wait…you promised her a dance with me?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. Well, she more so promised herself a dance. After I showed her your picture at Thanksgiving, she said you were hot and told me she was calling at least one dance. I kinda liked the fact that she was jealous, so I didn't object. I just didn't expect her to be so up front with you."

"Can we at least agree that I'm not responsible for what ever happens during that dance? I mean I'll be on my best behavior, but..."

"Oh I know you'll behave yourself." Spencer interjected. "It's her that I'm worried about, but I promise not to get mad at you."

"Thanks." Emily laughed.

* * *

Later that evening Emily and Spencer found themselves in a heated lip-lock on Emily's living room couch.

"Do you maybe wanna go try out our new toy?" Spencer broke the kiss and placed her hand on Emily's chest.

"Are you seriously asking me that question? Let's go." Emily stood up, took Spencer's hand and led her into the bedroom.

"I just hope it fits you okay." Spencer said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist.

"It does. I tried it on the other night to be sure."

"Really?"

"Mmhm." Emily nodded.

"Where is it?"

"It's in the nightstand. Get on the bed. I'll get it." Emily took Spencer's hands in her own and kissed her.

"Okay. Just let me put on some music first." Spencer pulled her phone from her pocket. "I don't want Gwen to hear us, in case things get a little bit too loud."

Emily smirked and sat down on the bed. She opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the toy, which was already attached to the harness.

"I made us a playlist." Spencer said as she placed her phone into Emily's iPod dock and turned it on.

"You made us a sex playlist?" Emily laughed.

"I guess you could call it that." Spencer shrugged.

"Awesome."

Spencer walked over to the bed as the song "I Really Like You" by Carly Rae Jepsen began to fill the room.

Spencer got onto the bed and straddled Emily's waist. She leaned down and pressed her lips to the architect's. Spencer groaned into the kiss as Emily's tongue darted out and brushed against the brunette's bottom lip. As they kissed, Spencer's hands moved up Emily's chest and began to unbutton her shirt. After a few moments, Spencer broke the kiss and placed her lips next to Emily's ear.

"I need to tell you something. I really really really really really really like you..." Spencer whispered into the architect's ear, repeating the song lyrics.

Emily inhaled a quick, sharp breath as she felt Spencer's teeth nip at her ear lobe. Emily slid her hands up underneath Spencer's blouse and gently caressed the small of the brunette's back. Spencer leaned down and aggressively pressed her lips to Emily's, as they kissed, Emily grasped the hem of Spencer's blouse and slowly inched the material upward. Spencer broke the kiss and leaned back so that Emily could remove her shirt. Once Spencer was free of her blouse, Emily's eyes immediately sunk down to the brunette's navel jewelry.

"Getting a belly button ring was a great idea." Emily growled. "It looks so sexy on you."

Emily leaned forward and placed her lips to Spencer's stomach, just above her navel.

"I'm glad you like it." Spencer smiled as she placed her hand on Emily's chest, slowly guiding her body back down onto the bed.

Emily quickly slipped her arms out of her own shirt and threw it to the floor. She then rolled over, flipping positions with Spencer. Spencer quickly grabbed Emily's belt buckle and yanked it loose. She unbuttoned and unzipped Emily's jeans before tugging them down her hips and thighs. Emily's hands almost immediately found the zipper on Spencer's pants. She pulled the zipper downward as Spencer began anxiously wiggling out of the article of clothing. Once Spencer had discarded her own pants, she reached underneath her back and unhooked her bra.

"Now, let's see your piercings." Spencer said huskily, sliding one of her hands up Emily's abdomen toward her bra.

Emily didn't waste any time in grasping the bottom of her sports bra and pulling it up over her head. She tossed her bra to the floor as she noticed Spencer's eyes fixed on her nipple rings. Spencer slid her hands up over Emily's breasts and felt the architect's nipples harden beneath her fingertips. Spencer was now finding herself having a difficult time resisting the urge to put her mouth on Emily's piercings.

Emily groaned a little, her nipple rings heightening her sexual arousal as Spencer lightly squeezed her nipples in between her finger tips. Spencer closed her eyes; small goose bumps began to rise on her skin as Emily slowly slid her hands down the sides of her body. Emily gently tugged Spencer's panties downward and slipped the garment off of her long, toned legs. Emily then slipped her own underwear off and dropped them to the floor along with the rest of their discarded clothing.

"Are you gonna put this on or what?" Spencer reached over to the nightstand and picked up the strap on.

"You a little bit anxious?" Emily chuckled.

"I can't help it."

Emily smiled and took the toy from Spencer. The architect then slipped the harness up her legs and tightened the straps over her hips. Once the harness was securely in place, Emily reached over into her night stand again and pulled out a condom as well as a bottle of lubricant.

"Can I do it?" Spencer asked, taking the condom from her girlfriend.

"Sure. If you want."

Spencer ripped open the package and slowly rolled the condom over the toy. Emily picked up the bottle of lubricant and squeezed a generous amount of liquid into her hand before tossing the bottle back into the drawer of the nightstand. Spencer looked on anxiously, finding herself more and more turned on as she watched Emily stroke the shaft up and down until it was adequately lubricated. Emily then leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's, eliciting a heated and very passionate kiss. After a few moments, Emily pulled back and stared down at Spencer.

"You ready?" Emily asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"I'm ready." Spencer nodded. "Just try to start out slow..."

"Of course. And I don't want you to be at all uncomfortable with this, so if it hurts or if you don't like it or you just want me to stop, let me know."

"Okay." Spencer nodded and inhaled a deep breath.

Emily leaned down and placed another kiss to Spencer's lips as she lined herself up with her entrance. Emily took the shaft of the toy into her hand and guided the tip into her girlfriend. Emily experienced only a slight resistance as she slowly pushed further inside of Spencer, inch by inch. Spencer closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure at the sensation of being filled.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked once she was all the way inside of Spencer. "Do you want me to pull out?"

"If you do, I'm just gonna have to put you back in again." Spencer reached up and ran her hand through the architect's hair.

Emily stayed very still for a few moments, allowing Spencer's body enough time to adjust to the size of the toy.

"Tell me if I get too rough." Emily said softly as she gently pulled halfway out before pushing back in.

"Mmmm, Em..." Spencer moaned, her hands sliding up Emily's back, stopping at the architect's shoulders.

Emily slowly began thrusting in and out, she was gentle, yet firm with each long, drawn out stroke. Emily positioned her hands firmly on the mattress on either side of Spencer's body. The architect's muscles tensed a little as she felt Spencer's fingernails dig into the skin of her shoulders.

"You all right?" Emily stared down into Spencer's eyes as she continued gently thrusting inside of her girlfriend. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Sweetie. I'm fine, don't worry." Spencer smiled, reaching up and placing her hand on Emily's cheek.

"Okay." Emily nodded. "Just wanted to be sure."

"I know." Spencer slipped her hand behind Emily's head and pulled her down for a passionate kiss.

Emily quickly slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth where she was eagerly met with her girlfriend's tongue.

"Em..." Spencer moaned into the kiss as her hands moved down Emily's shoulders to the small of her back, leaving random fresh fingernail marks and scratches along the way.

After a few moments, Emily broke the kiss and slowly kissed her way down Spencer's neck and chest. Emily felt herself becoming more and more aroused as the base of the toy stimulated her own body.

"Fuck." Emily groaned as she buried her face into Spencer's shoulder.

As Emily was too focused on Spencer, she had practically tuned out the music that was playing in the room, until she heard the opening notes of the song "I Knew I Loved You," by Savage Garden begin to flood through the speakers. Emily stopped moving mid-thrust and pulled back to look at her girlfriend.

"You put this song on your playlist?" Emily asked.

"Well, yeah." Spencer replied. "You picked it for me and it was the first song we ever danced to. It's kind of like our song."

"I can't believe you remembered." Emily smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." Spencer ran her hand over Emily's shoulder and down her arm.

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's as she resumed thrusting again, beginning slowly, but steadily gaining speed.

"Harder, Em." Spencer moaned into the kiss and wrapped her hand around Emily's muscular forearm.

Emily obliged and increased the pace and force of her thrusts. A few drops of sweat beaded on her neck and dripped down her chest.

Without slowing down, Emily snaked her arm that wasn't currently occupied by Spencer's hand downward toward Her girlfriend's center. The architect slipped two fingers into Spencer's body and gently began rubbing small, tight circles on the brunette's clit. Spencer's back arched into Emily's touch, she squeezed her eyes closed and her free hand reached down and clutched the blanket beneath her body in a tight fist.

Emily broke the kiss as a deep, throaty grunt escaped her lips. Spencer's hands quickly moved from the blanket and Emily's forearm back the architect's shoulders. Spencer gripped Emily's shoulders, digging her fingernails into the smooth, tan flesh as the architect's now sweat-soaked body, continued gliding overtop of her own. Emily removed her fingers from Spencer's body and placed her hands flat on the mattress on either side of Spencer's shoulders as she increased her pace again. Spencer spread her legs further apart and grasped a fistful of Emily's hair in her hand, the brunette's breathing rapidly increasing with each passing moment.

"Open your eyes." Emily leaned down and spoke into Spencer's ear.

Spencer did as told and she was met with Emily's soft, dark eyes staring lovingly down at her.

"Don't stop, Em." Spencer groaned.

Emily continued thrusting, angling herself upward to connect with Spencer's G-Spot. Emily stared into Spencer's desire-clouded eyes, as she drew closer and closer to orgasm, her thrusts became much quicker, much shorter and much more sporadic. Spencer's breathing became more and more labored and she began moving her hips upward to meet Emily's thrusts; she felt a familiar sensation of heat begin to rise from her toes up her body.

"Mmm...Em!" Spencer's voiced echoed off of the bedroom walls as her muscles simultaneously contracted, orgasm finally enveloping her.

Emily continued thrusting in and out for a few more moments until she felt herself tumble over the edge as well.

"Fuck." Emily grunted, breathing heavily as her muscles stiffened and her thrusts slowed to a halt.

Emily heavily exhaled and nestled her face into the junction between Spencer's neck and shoulder. She gently kissed Spencer's neck as she felt the brunette's hand move up and down the small of her back. Spencer wrapped her legs around Emily's body, keeping her girlfriend close and completely hindering her ability to pull out, even if she had wanted to.

Once Emily was able to catch her breath, she pulled back and glanced down into Spencer's eyes again.

"How was it?" Emily asked. "Did you like it? Did you hate it?"

"How could I possibly have hated it?" Spencer asked. "That was great...you were great."

"I'm glad." Emily breathed a small sigh of relief. "So...you did come, didn't you?"

"Mmhm."

"Good. I thought so, but I wanted to check."

"Did you?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. I did." Emily smiled and nodded. "You know, Spence, you're so beautiful..." Emily brushed a dampened lock of Spencer's hair away from her forehead.

"Sure, that's easy to say after sex." Spencer laughed. "You've already gotten what you were after."

"No, I'm serious." Emily said sincerely. "I've said it before, after, during. Hell, I even thought you were beautiful long before sex with you ever crossed my mind. I just really like telling you...because it's true."

"Aaww...God, you're so sweet." Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head and pulled her down for a kiss.

After a few minutes, Spencer released the grip she held around Emily's waist with her legs. Emily then slowly pulled out of Spencer's body, removed the condom she was wearing and discarded it. Emily laid down on her back underneath the blanket and Spencer quickly wrapped her arms around the architect's midsection.

"Thanks for being so gentle and everything." Spencer laid her head down on Emily's chest.

"No problem. Knowing that you're comfortable is always my top priority." Emily leaned down and kissed the top of Spencer's head.

"So...it's still early. You wanna do it again?" Spencer smirked.

"Sure. But, I'm gonna need a couple more minutes first." Emily laughed. "I'm a little worn out. I haven't used a strap on in awhile."

"You definitely haven't forgotten how to use one, that's for sure."

 


	86. Chapter 86

Later that night.

"I'll walk you outside." Emily said as she opened the front door to her apartment and waited for Spencer to exit first.

Emily followed Spencer across the parking lot to her Mercedes. When they got to the car, Emily opened the driver's door for her girlfriend.

"Thanks for coming to Melissa's party with me. Again, I'm really sorry about how I acted. I was stupid..."

"I'm not upset anymore. Don't worry."

"Good. I so can't wait to take you to the wedding this week. Please don't forget, the rehearsal dinner is at seven on Friday night. We should get the hotel a little early, so we have to make sure we give ourselves enough time to get to Philly."

"Got it." Emily nodded. "I'll make sure I leave work in plenty of time."

"Why don't you bring clothes with you and after work you can come by my house and just shower and change there while I get ready?"

"Sure. Sounds good. You'll help me pick out something to wear, right?"

"Of course I will."

"Thanks. And do me a favor and let me know when you get home, okay?"

"I will." Spencer nodded.

"Thanks. Goodnight." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's.

"Night." Spencer smiled when the kiss was broken. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning at school.

Spencer reached into her bag and placed a book onto the shelf of her locker.

"Hey, Spence." Hanna said as she approached her friend.

"Hey, Han." Spencer turned around. "What's up?"

"Not much. You?"

"Nothing really."

"How was your sister's bachelorette party?"

"It was all right. We had dinner, saw some strippers, the usual."

"How did Emily like all of the man candy?" Hanna laughed.

"Well, she wasn't exactly thrilled, but she was a good sport about it. She got rewarded eventually."

"Did you guys have a chance to try out your new toy or what?"

"Yep." Spencer nodded.

"I knew it. Emily was in an awfully good mood this morning."

"You saw her this morning?"

"Mm hm. She showed up early and she was way too happy to be at work on a Monday morning. So how was it?"

"It was good." Spencer smiled.

"Just good? That's all I get? Seriously?"

"Okay, fine...it was great." Spencer bit her lip as she thought back to the previous night. "Like really great."

"I guess you liked it then?"

"Definitely. It was even better than I imagined it would be."

"As usual, you were nervous for nothing."

"Basically." Spencer shrugged.

"You really need to stop being so nervous with Em. She loves you, you don't have anything to worry about. So, did it hurt at all?"

"A little at first, but it didn't take long to get used to it. And Em was really sweet and gentle the whole time. She kept asking me if I was okay. She probably asked about a million times."

"Aw. That's so cute. Did you guys try any fun positions?" Hanna winked.

"No." Spencer laughed. "It was the first time, we just did missionary, but she wouldn't take her eyes off of me the whole time, so that was nice."

"It is. Isn't it?" Hanna agreed. "Oh so I wanted to ask you, have you asked Miss Fix It to the prom yet? We really need to get our tickets, it's only two weeks away."

"I know, but I haven't talked to her yet." Spencer said, closing her locker door.

"Why not? Don't you want Em to take you to the prom?" Hanna asked, confused.

"I'd love for her to take me, but I don't know if she'll wanna go. She's twenty three, she probably doesn't want me to drag her to a high school prom."

"Spence, you have to go to prom. I'm sure Emily won't mind. It'll be fun. Besides, she came to the Valentine's Day dance and had a good time. There's no reason she wouldn't have fun at prom."

"That's true, I guess. Maybe I will ask her."

"You definitely should. I know she'll say yes. I don't know if she can say no to you." Hanna laughed.

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily had been on her way out of the Marin house when she got a call from Spencer. Emily accepted the call and raised the phone to her ear.

"Hey Spence, what's up?"

"Hey. Are you coming home right after work?"

"Uh huh. I'm getting ready to leave now. Are you at my place?"

"Yep. I thought I'd make you dinner, but I didn't wanna start it until I knew you were on your way home."

"That sounds great. Thanks. I'll be home shortly."

"Okay. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Emily ended the call and placed her phone back into her pocket. She got into her truck and headed home.

When Emily pulled into her parking lot, she noticed Spencer standing next to her motorcycle. There were two bunches of multicolored balloons as well as one large foil heart-shaped balloon tied to each of the motorcycle's handlebars. Emily also noticed that there was something written across the small windshield of the bike. As soon as Emily parked her truck, she got out and walked closer to her girlfriend, where she realized that the writing across the windshield of the motorcycle read "will you go to prom with me?"

Emily smiled as her gaze moved from the motorcycle to her girlfriend.

"If you don't want to go...it's okay...I'll understand…we don't have to…I just..." Spencer rambled.

"Spencer. Stop." Emily leaned down and silenced her girlfriend with a kiss.

When the kiss was broken, Emily placed her index finger underneath Spencer's chin and tilted her head back until their eyes met.

"I'd love to take you to the prom." Emily smiled warmly.

"Really?" Spencer stared up at Emily and slipped her hands up over the architect's shoulders.

"You bet. I was wondering when you were gonna ask me." Emily laughed, placing her hands on Spencer's hips.

"Seriously? Why didn't say something?"

"It's your school's prom, it's only right that I wait to be invited. I was starting to think that maybe you had another date lined up."

"Of course not. I just didn't know if you'd be interested in going to a high school prom."

"You think I'm too old?" Emily joked. "Is that it?"

"Not at all." Spencer smiled. "I'll get the tickets tomorrow."

"How much are they? I'll give you cash."

"No way. I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked.

"Absolutely. I want to. Now, come inside, I have something for you." Spencer took Emily by the hand and pulled her toward the door.

"I hope it's food. I'm starving." Emily laughed.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll feed you, but I have something else to give you first."

Emily followed Spencer into the apartment.

"Here." Spencer picked up a black, square box from the coffee table in the living room and handed it to Emily.

"What's this?" Emily asked.

"Just open it."

Emily lifted the lid on the box and inside she found a beautiful designer watch. The watch had a shiny silver band and a large sky blue face.

"Do you like it?" Spencer asked.

"Spence, it's beautiful..."

"I know you have a watch that you wear to work everyday, but I thought you could use a new one for when you dress up. The face even perfectly matches the shirt you're wearing to the wedding."

"I love it and I'll definitely wear it to the wedding. Thank you so much." Emily leaned in and hugged the brunette. "But what's the occasion?"

"I just love you, that's occasion enough for me."

"I love you too. We've sure made it through a tough few months, haven't we?"

"We have." Spencer agreed. "But, things are great now. You're finally home, you have an adorable growing relationship with my dad and we even get to go to the prom together." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and hugged her tight.

"Thanks for not giving up on us." Spencer mumbled against Emily's chest.

"I never will. I promise." Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's forehead.

* * *

Later that evening.

"So, I was thinking for the rehearsal dinner, you could wear a black suit and maybe this shirt." Spencer pulled a deep purple striped button down shirt from the closet.

"Sure. Works for me."

"Or do you think maybe a green shirt would be better? Or this light orange one. You do look really nice in pastels..."

"Any of them are fine. I'll wear whichever you like best."

"I just...I don't know...I...want everything to be perfect for when you meet my family."

"You need to relax." Emily chuckled. "I don't think anyone in your family will care what color shirt I have on. They'll all be focused on your sister."

"I know, but I still want everything to go well. You know how important first impressions are."

"Don't worry. I swear I'll be on my absolute best behavior and I'll charm the pants right off of them."

"I know you will." Spencer laughed. "It's just that I've never introduced anyone I've dated to my extended family before and they can be pretty critical..."

"I know how you feel. It's not easy mixing girlfriends with family sometimes. I should know, I mean have you met my mom?" Emily laughed. "I didn't bring a lot of girls home, but the ones I did, she'd always find some issue. She didn't think any of them were good enough for me, well...that is until I brought you home. You were the only one she genuinely liked right off the bat."

"Really?" Spencer smiled brightly.

"Really." Emily nodded.

"That's a relief." Spencer said. "And I want you to know that it's not you at all that I'm worried about making a bad impression. It's my family I'm concerned about."

"Baby, no matter how nervous you think you are, you can't possibly be even half as nervous as I am. But, your family won't change my opinion of you, you know that. We'll just hope for the best and try not to worry too much about it, okay?"

"That's a good idea."

"Mm hm. Oh and I like the green shirt."

"I think I do too." Spencer hung up the purple shirt she was holding and exchanged it for the green one. She held it up to Emily's body. "It brings out your eyes. And you have beautiful eyes, by the way."

"Thanks. You do too." Emily smiled and wrapped her arms around Spencer's body, pulling her close.

"Now, you have tried on your suit for the wedding since we bought it, right?" Spencer asked. "I know you've gained some extra muscle since then. I don't want you to Hulk out of it. We can go get it emergency tailored if we need to."

"I tried it on last week. It fits perfectly. And you know that I don't like to brag, but it actually looks pretty good on me if I do say so myself."

"I know it does." Spencer smiled. "And I'm definitely looking forward to having the cutest date at the wedding."

"Thanks. So, I already know what your bridesmaid dress looks like, but what are you wearing tomorrow?"

"A black, strapless dress with a little bit of lace trim. It's actually pretty basic."

"Strapless, huh?" Emily smirked to herself. "Is it short?"

"Above the knees. Tastefully short, I guess."

"Nice. I can't wait to see your assets in it, if you know what I mean." Emily's hands slid down over Spencer's backside as she gently kissed her girlfriend's neck.

Spencer moaned softly as Emily gently nipped at her neck.

"Easy there, tiger." Spencer chuckled. "You promised to behave yourself, remember?"

"I promised to behave tomorrow. I didn't say anything about tonight." Emily laughed.

* * *

On Friday evening, Emily arrived at the Hastings' house. She got out of her truck and took the garment bag and duffel bag from the passenger side of the truck. Emily headed through the empty house and upstairs to Spencer's bedroom.

"Hey." Emily walked into the room, where Spencer was sitting in front of the mirror straightening her hair.

"Hey, Em." Spencer set her flat iron down and turned around. "How was work?"

"It was good." Emily walked over to Spencer and kissed her cheek. "We're getting pretty close to being done. You straightened your hair?"

"Yeah. I don't do it very often. Do you hate it?"

"Of course not. You look beautiful no matter what you do with your hair. But, I do love your natural waves."

"I gonna leave it natural for the wedding, I just wanted to do something different for tonight."

"Like I said, you look beautiful no matter what." Emily smiled. "Is it okay if I go jump in the shower? I'll be quick."

"Sure. Go ahead. I hung up a fresh towel for you in the bathroom."

"Thanks."

"Do you need anything ironed?"

"Nope. I pressed everything myself this morning."

"Great. And you did bring all of your wedding stuff too, right? Don't forget we're all staying overnight in Philly."

"I remembered. I've got everything." Emily unzipped the garment bag and removed the black suit and green shirt that she would soon being changing into.

"Perfect. I just need to finish my hair and make up and put my dress on."

"Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes." Emily laid her clothing and duffel bag on Spencer's bed before walking out of the room.

When Emily got out of the shower, she towel-dried her hair and smoothed out her thick, dark locks before wrapping the towel around her body. She gathered up her dirty clothing and walked back to Spencer's bedroom. Spencer had already changed into her dress and was working on applying some make up.

"You can just throw your dirty clothes in my laundry basket." Spencer said, staring into the mirror as she touched up her eyeliner. "I'll wash them for you."

"Okay. Thanks." Emily said as she tossed her clothing into the laundry basket next to the closet.

Emily took a bra and a clean pair of underwear from her duffel bag. She dried off and wrapped the towel around her waist before slipping her bra on.

Spencer stood up and walked over to her dresser. She picked up the diamond necklace that Emily had given her on New Years and clasped it behind her neck. When Spencer turned around, Emily's eyes focused on the brunette.

"You look totally gorgeous." Emily said, her eyes wandering up and down Spencer's body.

"So do you." A small half smile crept across Spencer's face.

"I'm not even dressed yet." Emily said.

"Who said you needed clothes to look gorgeous?" Spencer winked as she took a few steps closer to Emily.

"You got me there." Emily shrugged.

Spencer slipped her arms around Emily's waist and pressed her lips to the architect's. The brunette quickly slipped her tongue into Emily's open mouth.

As they kissed, one of Spencer's hands reached downward and grasped the architect's towel. Spencer moaned softly into the kiss as she gently tugged on the material to release the towel from around Emily's waist.

"Spencer are you about ready to..." Veronica said as she stepped into the room.

Upon hearing Veronica's voice, Emily and Spencer quickly separated. Emily reached down and grabbed her towel just as she felt it begin to slip off of her body. She felt her skin immediately flush as she secured the towel around her waist again. Emily stood still, staring down at the floor, desperately avoiding any eye contact with Veronica.

"I thought you and dad were picking Nana up at the airport." Spencer said.

"Your dad went. I had to come back and pick up my dress. I asked your father to bring it with him, but of course he brought the wrong one. And her forgot to bring my dress for the wedding." Veronica sighed. "I should have known better than to ask a man to do anything. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

Veronica then looked over at Emily who was standing awkwardly, eyes still glued to the floor as a deep shade of red graced her chest, face and neck.

"Now, I'm not exactly sure where this was headed, but we don't have time for it. We need to get going." Veronica said. "I told your father we'd meet everyone at the hotel."

"I'll just g...go get dressed in...in the bathroom." Emily stuttered as she fished her deodorant out of her duffel bag. She then picked up her underwear and suit from the bed, while tightly holding her towel in her fist to ensure that it didn't slip off of her body.

Emily then quickly slipped out of the room and headed back down the hall to the bathroom.

"I'm going to go change. As soon as you and Emily are ready, meet me downstairs." Veronica said.

"Okay. We'll be right down."

A few minutes later, Emily returned to Spencer's bedroom. She sat down on the bed, put her socks and shoes on and stood back up.

"You ready?" Spencer asked.

"I think so."

"Okay. My mom said she'd meet us downstairs."

"Is she pissed?" Emily asked nervously.

"Why would she be pissed?"

"Well, for starters she walked in on us making out in your bedroom and she basically saw me naked."

"Please. You were hardly naked. You had on a bra and a towel. She didn't see anything."

"That doesn't make it any less embarrassing. You don't think she saw my nipple rings, do you?" Emily looked down at her own breasts.

"No. You can't see them through that bra." Spencer shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive. But, who cares? Even if she could see them, it's not like having your nipples pierced is bad." Spencer laughed.

"Well, no, but it's one of those things that she doesn't need to know or probably care to know about me. I guess it doesn't matter though, I'm sure she hates me now regardless..."

"Will you calm down? She doesn't hate you. She's not even a little bit upset, don't worry. It's not like she walked in on us having sex or anything." Spencer placed her hand on the small of Emily's back. "Let's go."

Emily and Spencer gathered their things and headed downstairs.

"Emily, you look very nice." Veronica said. "Green is a good color on you."

"Thank you very much." Emily swallowed the lump in her throat, avoiding Veronica's eyes. "Spencer picked out the shirt for me."

"Emily, honey, are you going to try to avoid looking at me all weekend?" Veronica asked.

"No, ma'am...I just...I..." Emily stammered as she slowly forced herself to look Veronica in the eyes. "I'm really very sorry...I..."

"If you think I'm angry at you, I'm not." Veronica said.

"I'm glad." Emily exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Let's just all be glad that I came home instead of my husband." Veronica smiled, placing her hand on Emily's shoulder.

"I am for sure. You have no idea." Emily said.

"Spencer, do you mind if we take your car?" Veronica asked.

"No, that's fine."

"Here, why don't you give me your stuff, I'll take it to the car." Emily turned to her girlfriend. "Can I take your things too, Missus Hastings?"

"Thank you, sweetheart." Veronica said, handing the white garment bag she was holding to the architect.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, Veronica, Emily and Spencer noticed Peter standing at the front desk, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Where's your mom?" Veronica asked as she approached her husband.

"She went to the restroom."

"Is Melissa here?" Veronica asked.

"She's already checked in. She's upstairs getting ready."

"Are my parents here yet?"

"They're here too. We're just waiting on Dan, but we have a problem."

"Which is?" Veronica said.

"They shorted us a couple of rooms...and now they're telling me that the hotel is completely booked for the whole weekend. The guy went to check with the manager, but I don't think they'll be able to do anything."

"Melissa and Wren still have the honeymoon suite, right?" Veronica asked.

"Yes. Thankfully they didn't screw that up, but the suite won't be ready until tomorrow."

"Well, Melissa and Wren aren't staying together tonight anyway. I'm sure we can do some shuffling around." Veronica said. "Everything will be fine."

"Yeah. It's okay. Emily can just stay with me." Spencer smiled, linking her hands around the architect's elbow. "Problem solved."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Peter shook his head.

"Why not? Every other couple gets to stay together." Spencer whined. "Come on dad, stop being so uptight. Emily and I..."

Spencer stopped when she noticed her mother subtly shaking her head, urging her to not finish her sentence.

"You and Emily what?" Peter said.

Emily's eyes widened and her heart pounded hard against her chest.

"I was just gonna say that we're adults too and deserve to share a room. It's not a big deal and it's not fair for Em to get stuck with one of our relatives that she doesn't even know."

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. "Your cousins were at Melissa's party last week, Emily met them and Casey didn't bring a date, what if you stay with us and we put Emily and Casey in the room with the two double beds?"

"That's not happening." Spencer said firmly. "All Casey did the whole night at Melissa's bachelorette party was hit on Emily. I don't want Casey to bug her the whole weekend."

"Well, we don't have a lot of options here..." Peter said matter-of-factly. "What if we put Spencer with Casey and just have Emily stay with us?" He looked over at Veronica. "We have a king suite with a full living room and pull out couch. There'll be plenty of space."

"Dad, no way. That's awkward and weird." Spencer complained.

"How about a compromise?" Veronica said. "Put Emily, Spencer and Casey all in the two bed room. Emily and Spencer won't be alone, but they'll still get to stay together. That way everyone gets something they want."

"Fine." Peter sighed. "But, I want you and Casey sharing a bed." He looked at his daughter.

"Sure dad." Spencer rolled her eyes.

A minute later Spencer spotted her grandmother walking across the lobby.

"Is that my baby?" Nana Hastings said as she approached her granddaughter.

"Hi Nana." Spencer smiled brightly as she leaned in to hug her grandmother.

"I'm so happy to see you." Spencer's grandmother said. "I missed you all so much."

"We've missed you too." Veronica said, hugging her mother-in-law once she had let go of Spencer.

"It's so good to see you, Veronica."

"You too, mom. How was your flight?" Veronica asked.

"It was fine. You know, same as usual. I'm glad to be back on the ground though...and you..." The elder Hastings woman then set her sight on the architect. "Must be Emily."

"Yes. Ma'am." Emily nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, honey. It's so nice to finally meet the famous architect. I've heard so much about you."

"Good things, I'm hoping..." Emily said.

"Oh absolutely. Nothing but good things, in fact."

"I'm glad." Emily smiled. "I've heard a lot about you as well."

"You know, Spencer..." Nana Hastings turned to her granddaughter. "She's much cuter in person."

"Isn't she?" Spencer said.

Emily blushed a little as she fiddled with the buttons on her jacket.

"Yes and I think you make an adorable couple."

A moment later the front desk clerk returned.

"I'm very sorry about all of this sir, but we don't have any extra rooms." The clerk said. "The manger said we can offer you a significant discount on your reservation, but that's about all we can do."

"It's fine." Veronica said, sincerely. "We can make due with what we have."

"I'll get you your key cards."

"So what are the sleeping arrangements going to be?" Nana Hastings asked.

"We already figured it out." Peter said. "Casey, Spencer and Emily are all going to take one room. That way you'll still get your own room, so the kids won't bother you."

"Bother me? I'm more worried about me bothering them. You know, just in case I decide to bring a gentleman back to my room." Nana Hastings smirked and suggestively raised her eyebrows.

"Mom!" Peter narrowed his eyes at his mother.

Emily choked a little on her own saliva as she tried to stifle a laugh.

"What? I'm old, not dead, Peter. And have you seen the groom? Maybe those looks run in the family. I wouldn't mind a nice British man to…"

"Okay, mom." Peter cut off his mother. "What ever you were about to say, please keep it to yourself."

"Here are the rest of your room keys." The clerk returned and handed the keys to Peter.

"Thank you." Peter then turned to Veronica. "Why don't all of you take your stuff upstairs and get situated, I'll wait down here for Dan."

"All right." Veronica said. "Have you heard from him? Melissa will have a fit if anyone is late."

"They're almost here." Peter said. "It should only be a few minutes."

 

 


	87. Chapter 87

That evening before dinner.

"Come mingle with me." Spencer stood up and reached down for Emily's hand.

"Okay." Emily nodded and stood up from the table.

"Spencer, I can't believe how grown up you look." A brunette woman in a dark green dress, who looked very much like Veronica spoke. "You're beautiful."

"Thanks." Spencer smiled. "Em, this my aunt Olivia, my mom's sister. Emily's my girlfriend."

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you, hun." Spencer's aunt extended her hand to the architect.

"Thank you, you too." Emily politely shook the woman's hand.

Emily then noticed an older woman approaching. She was slender, had mostly gray hair and wore a black designer dress and diamond necklace.

"Here comes my grandma." Spencer said.

Emily stared straight ahead and noticed the woman's eyes locked intently on her and she didn't look overly happy.

"Um, your grandmother does know you're gay, right?" Emily whispered nervously.

"Yes. Relax. It'll be fine."

"Spencer dear, I'm so happy to finally see you." Spencer's grandmother walked over to her granddaughter and hugged her.

"I'm glad to see you too, grandma."

"How is everything going? Are you ready for UPenn?"

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded. "I can't wait to go full time in the fall. I took a few classes this summer."

"That's wonderful. Have you picked a major yet?"

"Not exactly. I'm still working on that part. But, right now, I want you to meet Emily." Spencer slipped her arm around the architect's waist.

"So you're the girlfriend?" The older woman slowly began eyeing Emily up and down very careful.

"Yes, ma'am." Emily shifted her weight uncomfortably from one leg to the other as she stared down at her own shoes. She could almost feel the woman's eyes burning a hole straight through her body.

"Hm..." The older woman placed her middle and index fingers underneath Emily's chin and lifted her head until the architect's eyes met hers. She took Emily's chin in her hand and turned her head to the left, then to the right. "Good cheek bones, nice hair, near perfect skin...and you have a little Asian blood in you...don't you?"

"Grandma." Spencer's eyes widened as her grandmother continued to critique her girlfriend. "Don't..."

"No, it's okay." Emily glanced over at Spencer before focusing her attention back on the older woman. "Actually, you're right. I am part Asian...my mom's half Filipino and my dad's part Korean."

"I knew it." Veronica's mother said matter-of-factly. "You're a bit older than I expected..."

"I'm twenty three." Emily swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm a little older than Spencer, but I really care about her a lot."

"And what exactly are your intentions?"

"Oh mom, be nice." Olivia said.

"Honestly, I have nothing but the best of intentions for my relationship with Spencer." Emily said sincerely. "I hope we'll be together for a long, long time."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, if you're twenty three, assume you work then? Or are you still in school."

"I graduated college and I do work." Emily nodded. "I own my own business. I'm an architect and a contractor."

"Your own business? I hope it's doing well because I expect that you'll be financially stable enough to take extra good care of my Spencer..."

"Yes, ma'am. Absolutely."

"And she treats you well?" Spencer's grandmother looked over to her granddaughter.

"Of course she does. Don't worry, grandma. Emily's really good to me." Spencer gently patted Emily's chest. "And I love her a lot."

"Good." Veronica's mother nodded. "Oh, look there's the beautiful bride-to-be." She then walked off toward Melissa with her daughter following behind.

Emily breathed an audible sigh of relief when Spencer's aunt and grandmother had moved a little further away.

"Sorry about that, babe." Spencer chuckled.

"Man, when you said some of your family can be a little critical..." Emily ran her hand through her hair.

"I know. My mom's mom and dad's mom are completely different. Like night and day."

"I'll say." Emily agreed. "Can we like go talk your nana? After that, I feel like I could really use a little self esteem boost."

"Yes. We can do that." Spencer laughed.

Spencer looked up at her girlfriend and noticed a few drops of perspiration on Emily's forehead, near her hairline.

"Are you sweating?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. A little bit." Emily nodded.

"Are you too hot? You can take your jacket off if you need to. I don't want you to drop dead."

"I'm not warm, just nervous. I've never had a girlfriend's family member give me such a thorough once over before." Emily chuckled uneasily.

"Aaww." Spencer laughed a little as she stopped a waiter who was passing by with a tray of drinks. "Excuse me. Could I get a napkin, please?"

"Certainly." The waiter took a few napkins from the tray and handed them to Spencer. "Here you are."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Miss." The waiter smiled at Spencer before walking off.

"Here." Spencer reached up and gently dabbed the perspiration from Emily's forehead and temples. "My grandma really liked you though."

"What? I'm pretty sure she hated me."

"No. That's just my grandma. You have to know how to read her. Be glad though, you got off way easier than Wren did when he met her for the first time."

"Seriously?"

"Oh yeah. She really grilled him. I actually thought he was gonna cry." Spencer laughed. "But, you don't have to worry. My grandma's the toughest, meeting the rest of my family will be a piece of cake. And my grandpa's a lot more easy going."

"That's a relief. I like your family, but I feel like I don't really fit in here. I'm trying really hard not to embarrass you, but I'm not used to this stuff. Everything's so fancy and everyone's mingling, talking about their vacation houses, country clubs and yachts and I'm just...this tall, awkward, sweaty architect who sticks out like sore thumb in this room, you know?"

"Aw, baby. You fit in just fine." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her.

"Thanks, Spence."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll buy you a yacht." Spencer gently rubbed her hand up and down the small of Emily's back.

"That sounds great." Emily laughed. "Then we could go sailing together. Just you and me out in the middle of the ocean."

"I'd love that. We should definitely do it someday." Spencer smiled.

"Are you two about ready for dinner?" Peter asked, approaching Emily and Spencer.

"I know I am." Spencer said. "I'm starving."

Spencer then noticed her sister motioning for her to come over to where she was standing with both Wren and Veronica.

"I'll be right back." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"So, I saw you had the chance to meet Veronica's mother." Peter smirked a little as he looked over at Emily.

"Yes, I did. A few minutes ago." Emily nodded.

"How'd that go? She's a pretty tough old lady. She was a prosecuting attorney and criminal court judge for a lot of years."

"I'm not surprised. No wonder meeting her was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life."

"I hear you, buddy." Peter laughed. "I can't even tell you how many times she tried to get Veronica to dump me."

"Really?" Emily asked.

"Really." He nodded. "She hated me at first. She always thought Veronica was too good for me."

"Are things okay between you and your mother-in-law now?"

"Oh yeah. We're much friendlier now."

"That's good."

"It is. She's actually a pretty nice person once you get to know her. Oh and after dinner, I've got a couple of friends I'd like to introduce you to. They're looking to have some work done on their house. I told them that I just happen to know a fantastic architect."

"You told them that?"

"Uh huh. Did you bring a business card with you?"

"Sure." Emily nodded. "I always keep a couple in my wallet. You never know when an opportunity might pop up."

"Very true. With that kind of smart business thinking, it's no wonder you've been so successful."

"Thank you." Emily said sincerely.

"You're welcome. Let's go sit down, they should be serving dinner any minute now."

* * *

Later that night.

Everyone began to settle into their hotel rooms for the night.

"So daddy wouldn't let you and Emily share a room alone, huh?" Casey said as she walked into the room with Spencer and Emily following behind.

"Nope." Spencer sighed.

"Does he seriously think you haven't already had a piece of this hot architect ass?" Casey asked, placing her arm around Emily's waist. "I mean look at her. I would have been on this in a second."

Emily couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah well, you better keep your paws off of her." Spencer narrowed her eyebrows at her cousin. "If we have to be stuck here together all weekend, we should make the best of it and I really don't wanna have to kill you."

"Don't sound so excited." Casey said sarcastically. "It's not like I'm thrilled. I was expecting to have a room all to myself. Lucky for you guys, I brought my quietest vibrator with me."

Spencer rolled her eyes.

"You're uh...gonna...with other people in the room..." Emily said.

"Why not?" Casey shrugged. "I had to spend all night listening to my family ask why I didn't bring a date. I really need to take the edge off. Besides, it's not like you're gonna sit here and watch me. I mean unless you get off on that sort of thing, then have at it. And I don't care if you guys fuck around, just try to keep it down."

"Yeah, I don't think anything's gonna happen tonight." Spencer scoffed. "Sorry, Em."

"I'm okay with it. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day and we need to get up early, so we should probably get to bed soon." Emily said.

"I think that's a good idea." Spencer agreed. "I'm gonna go change and wash my face." Spencer picked up a small bag she had brought with her and disappeared into the bathroom.

Emily sat down on the bed and untied her shoes before slipping them off and placing them neatly next to the nightstand.

Casey kicked her own shoes off, they landed a few feet away, near the desk.

"It feels so good to finally get out of this fucking thing." Casey exhaled deeply as she tugged her tight black and white designer dress down her shoulders and down her chest.

"I'll be right back." Emily stood up and walked over toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Casey asked.

"If you're gonna get undressed in here, I just thought I'd wait outside so you could have a little privacy."

"Oh please." Casey rolled her eyes. "They're just boobs, Emily. If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all...maybe none this nice though."

Emily made sure to keep her eyes focused on the floor to avoid looking at a half-dressed Casey.

"Just, um...let me know when you're dressed." Emily turned around, so that her back was to Casey.

The brunette finished wiggling out of her dress and let it fall to the floor. She bent down, picked up the dress and tossed it onto the edge of the bed.

Casey took a pair of very short, cotton shorts from her bag and slipped them on. She then unhooked her bra and tossed it away before pulling on a thin, black spaghetti strap tank top.

"I have clothes on." Casey said.

Emily then turned around and walked back over to the bed where she sat down to wait for Spencer to finish in the bathroom.

"Are you not planning on changing?" Casey asked as she flopped down on her own bed. "As sexy as you look in that suit, you're not planning on sleeping in it, are you?"

"No, I was just gonna wait to use the bathroom. That's all."

"Lame." Casey sighed. "Do you care if I put the TV on?"

"Not at all. Go ahead."

It was a few minutes later that Spencer came out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of Emily's red and black plaid boxer shorts as well as a black Texas Tech t shirt.

"You gonna get ready for bed?" Spencer asked, looking at her girlfriend.

"Mmhm." Emily nodded. "I was just waiting for you. I was thinking I'd take a shower tonight so you and Casey can have the bathroom in the morning and I won't get in your way." Emily stood up and walked over to her duffel bag.

"Okay." Spencer walked over to Emily and untucked her shirt. "You did bring clothes to sleep in, right?" Spencer asked as she undid the first few buttons of Emily's shirt. "I know I usually encourage you to sleep in as little clothing as possible, but based on the circumstances, should probably put something on."

"I brought clothes." Emily said. "I wasn't sure who I'd be rooming with, I didn't wanna be rude."

"Honey, I think it's rude to everyone for you to actually wear clothes at all." Casey laughed.

"Uh, thank you." Emily smirked a little as she walked toward the bathroom. "Spence, did you happen to bring that pomegranate body wash you had in your shower at home?"

"Yep. It's in a plastic bag in my suitcase. You liked it?"

"Yeah. It smells amazing, I'll have to buy some for my apartment the next time I go shopping." Emily said as she fished through Spencer's bag.

"I'll get you some, babe."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily took the bottle from the bag and headed to the bathroom.

"Em, make sure you lock the bathroom door." Spencer said as she glanced over at her cousin who was flipping through the channels on the television.

"Will do." Emily said as she disappeared into the bathroom.

"Relax. It's not like I'm gonna try anything. I'd have to get up." Casey rolled her eyes as. "You know Spence, you actually picked out a good one."

"Huh?" Spencer propped herself up on her elbow and rolled over to face her cousin.

"Emily. She's obviously totally into you. She's definitely super hot, but just so you know, I'd never like actually try to hook up with her. I wouldn't do that to you. I just like flirting."

"Good to know." Spencer said.

"There's no way she'd ever cheat on you though. I'm sure of it. I mean, any conversation I've ever had with her, she actually kept eye contact with me the entire time. Not even one single boob glance. No straight guy or lesbian I know has ever managed that."

Spencer smiled to herself. She was extremely overjoyed to know that despite all of Casey's shameless advances, Emily couldn't possibly have been any less interested.

"Emily's not like other girls." Spencer said.

"I guess not. So, she's getting along with your dad now, right?"

"Yeah. They've been pretty good ever since she came home from Texas."

After about ten minutes, Emily came out of the bathroom in a pair of blue pajama bottoms and a white v-neck t shirt.

"Want me to turn the light out?" Emily asked as she pulled her damp hair back into a ponytail.

"I'll get it." Casey said, getting up and heading toward the bathroom. "I gotta go brush my teeth first anyway."

"All right." Emily walked over to the bed and climbed in, next to Spencer.

Emily rolled over and kissed Spencer as she felt her girlfriend's arms wrap tightly around her body.

"I'm really sorry my dad wouldn't let us be alone." Spencer slipped her hand underneath Emily's t shirt and gently rubbed her stomach up and down.

"I don't mind. It's not a big deal."

"I was just really hoping we'd be able to have some privacy this weekend."

"Well...Casey's brushing her teeth, so we've probably got at least two minutes. Maybe three if she's adamant about flossing." Emily laughed.

"You're such a romantic." Spencer said sarcastically.

"Oh you know you love me." Emily pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"You're right. I do." Spencer smiled when the kiss was broken.

* * *

"Peter, are you coming to bed?" Veronica called out.

Peter turned out the bathroom light and walked over to the bed, where Veronica was already lying.

"Maybe I should go check on the kids." Peter said.

"They're just next door. They're fine."

"Are you sure letting Spencer and Emily stay together in a hotel room is a good idea?" Peter sat down on the bed.

"It's fine. Besides, Casey is with them. They won't do anything with Casey in the room."

"That never stopped us in your old dorm room at UPenn. You always had a roommate."

"Well, they're not us." Veronica laughed a little. "And I always got stuck with the roommates who never left. We didn't have a lot of options until I finally moved off campus."

"I just don't want them to think that us letting them stay together is a green light to..."

"You're worrying too much." Veronica interrupted. "You realize they've been seeing each other for almost eight months now. Do you really not suspect at all that maybe at some point during that time they've already slept together? You don't think you may be wasting your time and energy worrying about something that's already happened, and that you can't change?"

"Suspecting something and knowing for sure are two different things, Veronica." Peter said calmly. "I'll just try not to think about it."

"That's fine, honey. I understand why you feel that way, but pretending not to know something won't change the facts. Just relax and stop worrying about it. Tomorrow's going to be a wonderful day for Melissa. She deserves our full attention."

"You're right." Peter moved to the top of the bed and laid down next to his wife. "Can you believe Melissa's getting married tomorrow?"

"No, I can't." Veronica shook her head. "I'm still waiting for that to sink in."

"It seems like yesterday that Melissa and Spencer were just kids." Peter placed his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Now we've got one getting married and the other practically has one foot out the door already."

"It's hard to watch them grow up." Veronica wrapped her arms around her husband and laid her head on his shoulder. "But, at least we can rest easy knowing what wonderful young women they've both become."

"Definitely." Peter leaned down and kissed Veronica's forehead. "I just hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow."

"We've spent countless hours planning out everything right down to the very last detail. I'm sure it'll be great."

"I hope so. Melissa deserves it."'

* * *

"Mel, would you stop freaking out?" CeCe got out of bed and placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders to stop her from pacing anxiously about the room.

"I can't. What if he's not ready for this? What if he's walking out of this hotel right now?"

"Christ." CeCe mumbled under her breath. "He's not, okay? He wouldn't do that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He loves you. You guys are like the perfect couple."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. And tomorrow he'll be standing there, waiting for you, looking hot in the tux you picked out. You don't need to worry."

"What if..."

"Don't make me slap you." CeCe cut Melissa off. "Everything'll be great. I'll make sure of it. That's what I'm here for."

"Thanks. Maybe I should at least text Spencer and make sure she has her alarm set and everything."

"She'll be on time. Now can we please get some sleep? You don't wanna be too exhausted to enjoy your wedding night, do you?"

"You're right, we should get to bed." Melissa nodded.

Melissa walked over to her bed and laid down.

"Thank God." CeCe breathed a sigh of relief as she turned out the light and laid down in her own bed.

"You're sure Wren will like the lingerie we picked out?"

"Yes Melissa. He'll love it." CeCe rolled over to her side and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder.

"And you think..."

"Yes. What ever it is for God's sake yes. Just shut up and go to sleep already."

"Okay, okay." Melissa rolled over and sunk down into the mattress. "I'll try."

 

 


	88. Chapter 88

The next morning.

Spencer slowly opened her eyes and carefully rolled over in bed. She reached across Emily's body for her phone on the nightstand. Spencer checked the time and realized that she had woken up only a few minutes before her alarm was scheduled to go off. Spencer turned the alarm off to prevent it from waking up Emily and set the phone back down on the nightstand.

"Everything okay?" Emily mumbled softly, her voice thick with sleep.

"Mm hm. Go back to sleep." Spencer gently rubbed her hand over Emily's arm.

"Okay." Emily yawned as she wrapped her arms around Spencer's body.

Spencer closed her eyes and happily nestled her face into Emily's chest, though she refused to allow herself to fall back asleep.

After a few minutes, Emily released her arms from Spencer's body and rolled over onto her other side. Spencer took this opportunity to slip out of bed and quietly head to the bathroom.

When Spencer got out of the shower, she slipped into a bathrobe and walked back into the bedroom where Emily and Casey were both still fast asleep.

"You should get up." Spencer gently shook her cousin's shoulder. "You can have the shower."

"I don't want to." Casey whined, pulling her blanket up over her head. "I'm not done sleeping yet."

"I know, but we have to meet the rest of the bridal party for photos soon and we both need to get ready. Melissa will kill us if we're late or show up looking anything less than perfect. Do you really wanna deal with that?"

"Good point." Casey rubbed her eyes, threw her blanket off and sat up. "I'm not listening to her bitch for the rest of her life about how I ruined her wedding day."

"Exactly." Spencer said as she walked back to the bathroom.

Casey groaned and put her feet on the floor. She slowly stood up and grabbed her robe from the chair where her bag was sitting. She slipped off her clothing and put on the robe, walked into the bathroom and got into the shower. Spencer closed the bathroom door and turned her blow dryer on to the lowest setting.

It was about ten minutes later that Casey finished in the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out. She walked back to the bedroom, gathered up her hair dryer and make up before returning the bathroom. She squeezed in next to Spencer, who was now working on applying her make up in front of the mirror. Casey plugged in her blow dryer and turned it on high, causing Spencer to purposely elbow her cousin.

"What?" Casey turned off the blow dryer, annoyed.

"Can you keep it down? Emily's still sleeping."

"I need to dry my hair."

"Can you at least be considerate for once in your life and put it on low, so it's not as loud?"

"If I put it on low it'll take forever for my hair to dry. Emily's a big girl, she doesn't need a full eight hours of sleep to function. She'll survive."

It was just a few seconds later that Emily shuffled to the bathroom, running her fingers through her hair.

"Morning. Did someone say my name?" Emily yawned.

"I'm sorry we woke you up." Spencer apologized.

"You didn't. I was up anyway...I really need to pee..."

"Okay." Spencer nodded. "Casey, get out."

"Fine, but hurry up." Casey set her blow dryer down and walked out of the bathroom.

Spencer resumed putting on her make up, but Emily didn't move from the doorway.

"I thought you had to pee?" Spencer glanced over at Emily as she applied some eyeliner.

"I do."

"Go ahead."

"Um, it's just that I...could you leave too?" Emily asked shyly. "I'll be quick."

"You can't pee in front of me?" Spencer asked.

"It's a little embarrassing..."

"You don't need to be shy or embarrassed around me, but I understand if you're not quite ready to take that step in our relationship yet." Spencer chuckled.

"Thanks." Emily smiled.

"I can't wait to see you all dressed up." Spencer gripped Emily's t shirt in her hand and pulled her down for a kiss before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

It was only a few minutes later that Emily came out of the bathroom.

"Bathroom's all yours. Thanks." Emily said as she walked back into the bedroom.

Once Casey and Spencer had gone back into the bathroom, Emily took her charcoal gray pinstriped suit from its garment bag and laid it on the bed. She changed her underwear, pulled her pants up her legs and slipped on her sky blue shirt. Emily buttoned the shirt, tucked it into her pants and buckled her belt. She slipped on the matching gray vest and buttoned it as well. Emily put on her socks and shoes then walked over to the mirror and brushed her hair. The architect finished getting dressed by putting on the watch that Spencer had given her. Emily then sat down on the bed and patiently waited for Spencer and Casey to finish getting ready.

"Babe, are you getting dressed?" Spencer called out from the bathroom.

"I'm already dressed." Emily replied.

"Okay. Good."

It wasn't long before Casey walked out of the bathroom; she noticed Emily sitting on the bed, looking at her phone.

"That suit looks great on you." Casey walked toward Emily. "You did bring a jacket, right?"

"Sure did." Emily stood up. "It's right here." She picked up her jacket from the bed.

"Armani, huh?" Casey said, noticing the label stitched inside the jacket. "I didn't know you were into designer stuff."

"Oh, I'm not really." Emily said as she slipped the jacket on. "To be honest, I don't know anything about designers. Spencer and Melissa picked this out for me."

"Well, either way, you look sexy and I can't wait for our dance later." Casey winked.

"Uh, yeah. It'll be nice." Emily said.

"I should get dressed too." Casey walked over to the garment bag that held her dress and unzipped it.

She removed the same one-shouldered, sky blue dress with a white bow trim that Spencer, CeCe and Bridget would also be wearing. Emily politely turned away and picked up her phone again as Casey dropped her towel and slipped her dress on.

"Hey, Emily...would you mind zipping me up?" Casey turned around, exposing the zipper on the back of the dress that was only half way up.

"Uh...maybe you should have Spencer do that for you..." Emily said.

"Chill out. I'm asking you to help me put clothes on, not take them off." Casey rolled her eyes.

"I know but..."

"It's just a little zipper. I'm almost sure you won't accidentally trip and fall into my vagina in the process." Casey said sarcastically. "But, if you did, I wouldn't hate it." She laughed.

Emily then heard Spencer laugh from the bathroom.

"Spence!" Emily called out.

"What? Sometimes she's actually funny."

"Come on, I was just kidding." Casey said. "Please, zip up my dress. My arms are short, I can't reach."

Emily took a few steps over to Casey and gently pulled her zipper upward into place.

"Thank you." Casey turned around. "How do I look?"

"I think you look really nice." Emily said sincerely. "Blue's a good color for you."

"Thanks." Casey grinned.

A few minutes later, Spencer walked out of the bathroom in her dress, make up perfectly done and not a single hair out of place.

"God, you look so cute." Spencer said excitedly as she walked over to her girlfriend.

"Thanks. You look even more beautiful than when I saw you in this dress at your fitting."

"Thanks, Em." Spencer smoothed out the lapels of Emily's jacket and buttoned it at her abdomen. "Perfect."

They were then interrupted by the sound of Spencer's cell phone ringing. She walked over to the nightstand and picked up her phone. She noticed that CeCe was the caller and answered it.

"CeCe, what's up?" Spencer said.

"Can you come over here? I need a little help with damage control."

"What do you mean?"

"Melissa's freaking out. She hates her dress, her shoes, her make up, her nails, her hair, everything..."

"Great..." Spencer groaned. "I'll be right over. Hold on."

Spencer ended the call and tossed her phone onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Melissa's apparently having a raging Bridezilla melt down right now."

"I knew it was only a matter of time before she snapped." Casey laughed.

"Come with me." Spencer sighed, took Emily's hand and pulled her toward the door.

Spencer pulled Emily across the hall and knocked on the door. CeCe quickly answered and ushered Spencer and Emily inside. Spencer walked over to the mirror where Melissa was standing, just staring at her own reflection.

"Why the hell did you guys ever let me buy this dress?" Melissa complained, her gaze shifting between CeCe and Spencer. "I look awful."

"I like the dress..." Emily spoke up, reassuringly. "And I think you look beauti-"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Melissa cut Emily off.

"Sorry." Emily put her head down and stared at her shoes.

"Wren's gonna hate me in this. He probably won't even want to marry me. Then I'll be completely humiliated in front of all of these people..."

"You're being ridiculous." Spencer said. "The dress is perfect for you."

"I just...I don't know..." Melissa shook her head. "Can somebody go get me a bottle of water? I need an aspirin." She squeezed her eyes shut and began rubbing her temples as she paced back and forth.

"Sure. I'll get you some." Emily said.

"Don't bring me the garbage from the vending machine. Go down to the bar and get me a bottle of mineral water."

"You got it." Emily nodded.

"Well, are you gonna go or just stand there and stare at me in this hideous dress?" Melissa snapped.

"I'm going." Emily said as she quickly turned to leave.

"Yell at Emily one more time and you're getting married with a black eye." Spencer glared at her sister.

"Emily." CeCe caught the architect by the arm as she was on her way out.

"Yeah?"

"Hurry up."

"I will."

"This dress is beautiful and so are you, Mel." CeCe walked over to her friend. "Wren will love it. I promise."

After about five minutes, Emily got a bottle of water and left the bar. She stepped onto the elevator and waited for it to reach her floor. She stepped off of the elevator and walked briskly down the long hallway. When she turned the corner, Emily noticed Wren stepping out of one of the rooms.

"Hi, Emily." Wren said.

"Morning. How's it going?"

"I'd be a lot better if I could figure out how to tie this thing." He said as he fiddled with the bow tie that hung around his neck. "I need to go find my dad."

"I can help you with that. Hold this." Emily handed Wren the bottle of water in her hand.

Emily reached up and took both ends of the tie in her hands. Wren stood still as Emily carefully looped the tie one end over the other, before ultimately pulling on both ends of the tie and yielding a bow that was perfectly symmetrical on both ends.

"Is that too tight?" Emily asked.

"No. It's perfect." Wren said, a little surprised. "Thank you."

"No problem." Emily straightened the tie and flipped Wren's collar down.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"My dad's in the military. When I was a kid, I'd sometimes put on his dress uniform when I was missing him a lot. Eventually, I taught myself how to tie the bow tie. It's not as hard as it seems. So...how're you feeling? You ready to get married?"

"I'm ready." Wren nodded. "I'm just more nervous than I've ever been in my entire life."

"That's normal. Melissa's seems like she's got a little touch of the jitters too."

"You saw her this morning?"

"Uh huh. She just yelled at me to go get her some water a few minutes ago. Hence the big bottle of fancy mineral water." Emily laughed, taking the bottle from Wren.

"I'm sorry." He said sympathetically.

"It's cool. I know she's just stressed out and worrying about everything."

"You don't think she'll change her mind about getting married, do you?" Wren panicked.

"No way. Like I said, it's just jitters. Everyone gets them at some point."

"Well, I'm still sorry she yelled at you."

"It's cool. She looked gorgeous doing it and I don't think she meant anything by it, so I don't mind. She's gonna be a hell of a lot of fun when she's pregnant though." Emily laughed.

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves." Wren chuckled nervously.

"Well, you're one very lucky guy, you know."

"I really am." He agreed.

"And just think, pretty soon you'll be done with all of the stress and you can get on to more important things...like your wedding night." Emily winked and elbowed Wren in the ribs.

"I'm definitely looking forward to that part." Wren said, a huge grin creeping across his face.

"Just between you and me, I saw the lingerie Melissa's planning on wearing for you tonight and she's gonna look so hot. You're in for a very good night. Trust me."

"Now, I really can't wait. I hope you'll be in for an equally good night." Wren patted Emily on the shoulder.

"I wish, but I don't think I'll be that lucky." Emily said. "Mister Hastings won't let me be alone with Spencer. The only reason he's even letting us sleep in the same room is because his niece is rooming with us."

"Never say never." Wren said.

"There you are." Spencer said as she came down the hall. "I'm so glad CeCe and I are in there getting bitched at while you two idiots are standing out here chit chatting all morning long."

"I'm sorry. We were just..." Emily said.

"Forget it. We don't have time." Spencer took the bottle of water from Emily's hand and stomped off down the hall back to her sister's room.

"You can definitely tell they're sisters." Emily laughed.

Wren laughed too. "I'm sorry if I got you into a bit of trouble with Spencer."

"It's all right. She won't stay mad for long. But, just to be safe, I better go try to smooth things over."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

* * *

Later that morning, everyone in the bridal party arrived at the park where they were to take their pre-ceremony photos. Melissa and Wren were standing together across the park talking to the photographer as the groomsmen assembled next to a large tree near by.

"Here girls." Veronica said, handing a box containing a white carnation corsage to Bridget, Casey, CeCe and Spencer.

"Emily, I ordered something from the florist for you too." Veronica took a white carnation boutonnière from a box and pinned it to the lapel of Emily's jacket. "I thought it'd look nice with your suit."

"Thank you, Missus Hastings."

"Em, would you mind?" Spencer held out the box containing her corsage to Emily.

"Sure." Emily opened the clear plastic package and slipped the corsage onto Spencer's wrist.

Bridget's boyfriend did the same for her, as did CeCe's date.

"Aren't you gonna help me with mine?" Casey asked, looking over at Emily.

"Oh, um, sure. I guess I can do that." Emily opened the box, removed the flower arrangement and slid it onto Casey's wrist.

"You're lucky Emily's so nice." Bridget said to Casey. "If I were her, I probably would have punched you in the face by now."

"What? It's not my fault I don't have a date." Casey said.

"It kinda is. You could have had your pick of two dates, but your girlfriend and your boyfriend found out about each other and dumped you."

"No. They already knew about each other from the beginning. I dumped him because he kept begging for a three way with her and I wasn't into that. What's the big fascination with guys and threesomes? I don't get it."

"What happened to your girlfriend then?" Spencer asked.

"I dumped her ass when I found out that she had been fucking my boyfriend behind my back before I broke up with him."

"Casey, watch the language please." Peter said as he helped his mother step out of the car.

"Sorry, Uncle Peter. I was a little bit upset when I found out she was fornicating with my ex boyfriend while I was in class." Casey said sarcastically. "Is what I meant to say."

"Wouldn't you make it a lot easier on yourself if you just settled on a side and stuck to it?" Bridget asked.

"You clearly don't understand bisexuality." Casey rolled her eyes. "I'm not confused or trying to decide which one I like. Guys and girls have totally different things to offer me and I happen to enjoy both of them."

"And there's nothing wrong with that, baby." Nana Hastings said before placing a kiss to Casey's forehead. "You can like both. There's no need to choose. It all depends on the person, not the gender."

"Exactly. Nana's the only one who gets me." Casey placed her arm around her grandmother's shoulder.

"You know it doesn't matter to me whether you date guys or girls." Bridget said. "I just want you to stop dating lying, cheating losers."

"I'll work on it." Casey scoffed.

"And don't you worry for a minute about not bringing a date." Nana said. "I didn't bring one either."

"Which one of those guys is your escort, again?" Emily stared across the park at Wren's groomsmen, before glancing over at Spencer. "I can't remember."

"Wren's youngest brother. He's the one with light brown hair, on the far left." Spencer said. "Don't be jealous." She laughed. "He has a girlfriend. And he's only twenty one, so he's too young for me anyway. Oh and he's a guy…there's that too."

"Why would she be at all jealous? He's short. And not even a little bit cute." Casey said flatly.

"Could you stop being rude for like five minutes?" Bridget asked.

"I don't understand why women put so much emphasis on height." Spencer said. "What does it matter?"

"Says the one with the six foot tall girlfriend. Casey snorted.

"What? I would have still dated Emily if she was shorter than me."

"But you're glad she isn't, right?" Casey questioned.

"Well..."

"See."

"I think the photographer is ready for us." Peter said. "Let's go."

* * *

It was mid-afternoon when the church slowly began to fill with guests. Emily had been standing next to Spencer talking with a few of the Hastings' relatives. She looked around the church, recognizing a few people. She recognized the Montgomery family, Hanna and Ashley Marin, Caleb and Noel. Emily then noticed Alison DiLaurentis entering the church with a tall, slim dark-haired boy. There were also two middle aged people whom she assumed to be Alison's parents and a twenty-something year old man who looked very similar to Alison.

"Is that Alison's brother?" Emily looked over at Spencer.

"Yeah. That's Jason." Spencer nodded.

"Who's her date?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Some guy she met at the country club, I think. I should go get ready, they're gonna be starting the ceremony soon. I'll see you afterward, okay?"

"Okay." Emily nodded.

* * *

Everyone in the church stood up as Melissa began her walk down the aisle with her father by her side. Melissa stared ahead at Wren, relieved to see him standing ready at the altar with the rest of the bridal party. By this time, much of Melissa's nervousness had dissipated and at the moment her biggest concern was avoiding tripping on her dress as she walked down the aisle. All of the guests admired Melissa from head to toe as she made her way down the aisle, the beading on her dress glittered radiantly as it caught the ample lightning of the church.

Once Melissa and her father reached the front of the church, Peter glanced over at Wren and gave him a small smile before turning back to Melissa. Peter took a moment to look over his daughter and note how beautiful she looked.

"I love you." Peter leaned down and gently kissed Melissa's forehead before taking his place next to Veronica.

Emily stood still as she listened to Melissa and Wren recite their wedding vows to each other. Emily's eyes shifted from Melissa and Wren over to Spencer who was standing up perfectly straight holding a bouquet of flowers next to her sister. After a few moments, Spencer's eyes shifted and caught Emily's. Spencer smiled a little as she held Emily's gaze for a few long moments.

Once the "I dos" were said and rings exchanged, Wren and Melissa happily sealed their union with a kiss. The pair then made their way down the aisle as an officially married couple.

* * *

Melissa and Wren stood outside the church together receiving congratulations and talking with friends and family.

"I just wish your grandfather was here to see how beautiful you look." Nana Hastings said, wrapping her arms around Melissa in a tight embrace.

"I miss him a lot." Melissa said.

"He would have really liked you." The elder Hastings woman said, looking up at Wren.

"I'm sorry I never got the chance to meet him." Wren replied. "Melissa has told me a lot about him."

Once a few more of the people who were crowded around the couple cleared out, Emily approached them.

"Congratulations." Emily gave Wren a handshake and a hug. "I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Emily." Wren smiled.

Emily then stepped over in front of Melissa.

"Congratulations, Melissa." Emily said as she leaned in to hug the bride.

"Thanks. And I'm really sorry I yelled at you this morning...I was-"

"Stressed out and nervous. I get it. You don't need to apologize." Emily said. "But, I meant what I said this morning. You do look beautiful."

"Thank you. You look pretty nice yourself. I really like that suit on you."

"Thanks. I've been getting a lot of compliments on it lately. Emily laughed.

"The vest is a nice addition. Did you pick that out yourself?"

"What do you think?" Emily raised her eyebrows.

"Spencer picked it, didn't she?" Melissa smiled.

"Uh huh. You guys are so much better at that stuff than I am."

* * *

"Are we gonna eat soon? I'm starving." Spencer whined. "I haven't eaten all day."

"Dinner will be served in a little while." Veronica said. "Calm down."

"I can't wait a little while. I'm hungry now." Spencer complained.

"Someone's getting a little hangry." Emily laughed, leaning down and kissing Spencer's forehead.

"Hey, hangry is a real thing." Spencer scoffed.

"Believe me, I know." Emily nodded. "Hell hath no fury like a hangry Spencer." She laughed.

"Why don't you go get yourself some hor d'oeuvres, honey." Nana Hastings chuckled.

"They're putting them out?" Spencer quickly turned around looking for any waiters.

"Not yet, but your father is paying for all of this, you can have what ever you want, when ever you want." Nana said. "And as much as you want."

"Look, they're bringing some stuff out now. Come with me, Em." Spencer grabbed Emily's wrist and pulled her across the room.

When they got to the table, Spencer grabbed a small plate and filled it with every kind of hor d'oeuvre in sight.

"You want one of these?" Spencer asked, holding up a small pink shrimp.

"Sure."

Spencer then reached up and placed the shrimp into Emily's mouth.

"Thanks." Emily smiled and placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"For what?" Spencer furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"For being patient and so good with your sister. I know it wasn't easy, but she's lucky to have such a great Maid of Honor."

"Thanks, Em." Spencer placed a hand on Emily's shoulder as she reached up to kiss her.

"To be young and in love." Nana Hastings said, her gaze shifting from Emily and Spencer across the room to Melissa and Wren. "It was such a beautiful ceremony. Melissa seems so happy."

"Everything went perfectly." Veronica said. "I couldn't have asked for a better day."

Nana Hastings then looked back over at Spencer and Emily who were continuing to pick through the appetizers on Spencer's plate.

"Spencer really likes her, doesn't she?" Nana looked over at Veronica.

"She does." Veronica nodded. "They've been practically inseparable."

"They're sweet together. And everything is honestly fine with Peter now?"

"For the most part, yes. He's been so much more accepting these past couple of months. His relationship with Spencer has really grown."

"That's wonderful. Emily seems like such a nice kid."

"She is. I like her."

* * *

Later that evening after dinner, the reception was in full swing. The dance floor was filled with guests, while others sat chatting with one another around the room.

"Thank God there's an open bar." Casey said as she slumped down in a chair at a table with Emily and Spencer, drink in hand. "There's nothing else to do, at least I can get hammered."

"Just don't get too wasted, I don't wanna stay up all night with you while you puke your guts out." Spencer said.

"Don't worry about me." Casey said, lifting her drink to her lips. "I'll be fine."

"Hi girls, how's everything going?" Nana Hastings asked as she approached the table where her granddaughters were sitting with Emily.

"Great. I'm having a really nice time." Emily said as she stood up. "Would you like to sit down, Missus Hastings?" Emily pulled her chair out for her girlfriend's grandmother.

"I should probably give these old legs a rest. Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

"Oh Emily, cut the formality. You can call me Nana too." She laughed.

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"Doesn't all of this just make you girls so excited to get married?" Nana asked placing one hand on top of Spencer's and the other on Casey's.

"I'm never getting married." Casey said. "It's a complete waste."

"You won't feel that way forever, dear." Nana said. "You just need to find the right person...and you will."

"Yeah, we'll see." Casey rolled her eyes.

"Stop pouting." Spencer said. "You act like you're the only one who's ever come to a wedding without a date."

"Emily, would you mind doing an old lady a favor?" Nana asked.

"Not at all. What can I do for you?" Emily said.

"Would you head over to the bar and get me a drink, please?"

"Of course. What would you like?"

"Anything with a little bit of whiskey in it."

"You got it." Emily laughed. "Casey, can I get you anything while I'm over there?"

"Nah. I'm trying to pace myself. I don't wanna black out before they cut the cake."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"I'll go with you." Spencer stood up. "I wanna get a water."

Emily reached out and took Spencer's hand as they began walking across the room. When they reached the bar, Emily ordered a Jack and Coke as well as a bottle of water. The bartender handed the bottle of water to Spencer and began preparing the drink Emily had ordered. As they waited, Wren approached the bar.

"I hope you two are having a good time." Wren said. "I was just wondering...Spencer, would you dance with me?"

"Sure." Spencer opened her bottle of water and took a sip before handing it to Emily. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten to dance together very much, Em."

"It's all right. You're the Maid of Honor, you have other obligations. Just make sure you save the last dance for me."

"You bet." Spencer leaned forward and gave Emily a quick kiss on the lips. "Why don't you go ask Casey to dance? I'm sure that'll cheer her up."

"I'll ask her." Emily nodded.

"Just make sure her hands stay above your belt." Spencer said.

"Okay." Emily laughed.

When Emily received the drink she ordered she headed back to the table.

"Is Jack and Coke okay?" Emily asked, handing the drink to Nana Hastings.

"That's perfect. Thank you, sweetheart. Where did Spencer disappear to?"

"Oh she's over dancing with Wren. Hey Casey, would you like to dance with me?" Emily asked.

"You don't have to ask me to dance because you feel sorry for me. I don't wanna be pitied." Casey tossed back the rest of her drink.

"I don't pity you at all. I feel like dancing and my girlfriend's currently taken, so I thought I'd ask another pretty girl to be my partner. What's wrong with that?"

"You're smooth." Casey smirked. "You really know how to make the panties drop, don't you? I mean, mine would have been gone a long time ago if you weren't dating my cousin."

Emily blushed a little and cleared her throat.

"So...Nana, is it all right with you if I borrow Casey for a few minutes?" Emily asked.

"Of course. You kids go have fun. That's what weddings are for."

"Shall we?" Emily extended her hand to Casey.

"Hell yes." Casey quickly stood up, taking Emily's hand. "For the next five minutes, you're all mine." She pulled Emily toward the dance floor as fast as she could.

When they got onto the floor, Emily placed her hands around Casey's waist as Casey slipped her own hands up over Emily's shoulders.

"You know, I find it really hard to believe that there wasn't a single person you wanted to bring as a date." Emily looked downward at Casey. "I'm sure you could have chosen just about anyone you wanted."

"You wanna know what's screwed up?" Casey asked. "Believe it or not, I was looking forward to inviting my girlfriend to this stupid wedding. I decided to dump my boyfriend even before he got super annoying with the three way bullshit. I wanted to be exclusive with my girlfriend. I wasn't like in love with her or anything, but I really did like her."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out." Emily said sympathetically. "I know exactly how you feel. But, maybe it's better that you cut your losses when you did."

"You think I did the right thing?"

"Probably. I stayed with a girl who cheated on me. I thought everything would be fine, in fact I almost married her, but a year later she screwed me over again...left while I was at work, without even so much as a goodbye."

"Where does she live? I'll hunt her down and kill her." Casey pulled back and stared up at Emily.

"It's all right." Emily laughed. "I'm glad it ended with her. I wouldn't have ever met Spencer otherwise."

"You're one of the lucky ones, I guess."

"You'll find someone too." Emily said reassuringly as she and Casey slowly swayed back and forth to the music. "Don't worry."

"I don't know. I'm not exactly an easy person to be with. I'm kind of a sarcastic asshole in case you haven't noticed."

"I don't think that's true." Emily shook her head. "I think you're actually a really sweet girl who just hides behind sarcasm to avoid getting hurt. I was a lot like you before I met Spencer. I buried myself in my work and never really opened up to anyone. I struggled a lot with commitment."

"If it's any consolation, I don't think you have anything to worry about with Spencer." Casey clasped her fingers together behind Emily's neck and moved even closer to the architect as she pressed her cheek to Emily's chest. "She's crazy about you."

"I'm pretty crazy about her too."

"Duh." Casey laughed. "I just hope someday someone'll look at me the way you look at her."

"I'm sure tons of people would, if you'd let 'em."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any hot, single siblings, would you?" Casey asked. "I'd take either a brother or a sister. I'm not picky."

"Unfortunately, I'm an only child."

"Figures." Casey sighed. "That's just my kind of luck. But, I can't blame your parents. They got it right the first time, they didn't need to try again."

"I don't know about that, but thanks." Emily laughed.

When the song ended, Casey very slowly let her hands slip down Emily's shoulders. Emily removed her hands from the brunette's waist as they heard the DJ announce that Melissa and Wren would be cutting their cake in just a few minutes.

"Come on. Let's head back to the table." Emily held out her elbow and waited for Casey to take her arm to be escorted back.

"How was your dance?" Spencer asked when Casey and Emily arrived back at the table.

"It was pretty magical." Casey laughed. "She's a doll."

"Well was it everything you dreamed of?" Spencer asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly. She didn't take any of her clothes off."

"You're such a whore." Spencer laughed, rolling her eyes.

Once most of the guests migrated back to their seats, Wren and Melissa walked over to the table where the wedding cake was displayed. Melissa picked up the large silver knife, which had been intricately engraved with her name as well as Wren's. Wren placed his hand over top of Melissa's and together they cut a sliver from the bottom tier of the cake. The slice was then placed onto a dessert plate and the couple happily fed each other their first bite. As all of the guests looked on, Wren and Melissa leaned forward, their lips meeting in a kiss.

* * *

After everyone had finished their dessert, many of the unmarried women assembled on the dance floor and prepared for Melissa to toss her bouquet. Spencer found herself squished somewhere in the middle of the group, shoulder to shoulder with some of Melissa's friends. Melissa took her position with her back to the group and tossed the bouquet of flowers back over her shoulder. The flowers tumbled end over end through the air, when the bouquet flew over the crowd of women, Spencer reached up and caught it in her left hand. Perhaps, it was the fact that Spencer had a slight height advantage over a number of the women in the group or maybe it was just dumb luck, but either way Spencer now stood holding the beautiful bouquet in her hand.

"Aw, my little Spencer caught the bouquet." Nana Hastings gushed. "You know what the tradition says, don't you?" She gently elbowed Emily in the ribs.

Emily chuckled a little.

"Don't go giving them any ideas, mom." Peter said. "One wedding is enough for a while."

Melissa then walked over to Spencer and placed her arm around her younger sister's shoulder.

"Did you throw it to me on purpose?" Spencer asked.

"Nope." Melissa shook her head. "I didn't even know where you were standing. But, I guess Em's got some obligations now, huh?"

"I guess she does." Spencer said, a huge smile creeping across her lips.

Melissa was then escorted to a chair that had been placed in the middle of the dance floor. She sat down and waited for her husband come over to remove her garter. When he approached his wife, Wren knelt down in front of her. Melissa pulled the bottom of her dress up just a little to make it easier for Wren to access the garter. He slowly slid his hands underneath Melissa's dress and up her leg. Once his fingers brushed against the small piece of lace on Melissa's thigh, Wren slowly pulled it down Melissa's leg, over her knee and down her calf until it reached her foot. Once he had removed the garment from his wife's leg, Wren stood and held up the garter. It was white lace with a very intricate design and a small sky blue bow positioned in the center.

All of the bachelors gathered around the dance floor. Wren turned around, stretched out the garter and released it. It flung back over his shoulder and over the heads of all of the men. One of the young men in the back of the group slid across the floor on his knees and grabbed the garter before anyone else could. He stood up, proudly swinging the garter around his index finger. Spencer recognized him as a former Rosewood High School student, who had graduated last year. He was also the son of her parents' friends.

"You ready to do this, Spence?" He smirked.

"Do I have a choice?" Spencer rolled her eyes as she walked over to the chair that her sister had been seated in just a few minutes earlier.

The boy knelt down in front of Spencer. He slipped the garter on over the brunette's foot and slowly inched it up her calf.

Emily stood across the room, gritting her teeth as she watched the boy slide the garter up underneath Spencer's dress to her thigh.

With her hands buried deep in her pockets, Emily tightly clenched her fists. Being that Casey had her hands wrapped around Emily's arm, she could feel the architect's forearm muscles tense from her clenched fist.

"Either you're flexing for me or someone's a little bit jealous." Casey laughed.

"He..." Emily narrowed her eyes as she watched Spencer's partner pull the garter up higher on her thigh, pushing her dress upward in the process.

"I'm gonna..." Emily took half a step forward, completely unsure of what she even wanted to do or say.

"Easy there, stud." Casey laughed, tugging Emily's arm. "It's not like you can go beat the crap out of him. It's a wedding."

"I know. I just..."

"Look at it this way, he might get to put that garter on her, but I'm sure you'll get to take it off later."

"Good point." Emily smirked.

"I never pegged you for the jealous type."

"I try not to be, but sometimes it just comes out."

Emily felt very relieved when Spencer stood up from the chair and walked away.

"I'm so glad that's over with." Emily said as her girlfriend approached her.

"Aw. Were you jealous?" Spencer asked.

"I thought she was gonna go rip that dude apart." Casey said.

"Well, he was like practically feeling you up. His hands were getting way too close to your...business."

"It's fine, babe." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's midsection. "Don't worry."

Emily slipped her arm around Spencer's waist and pulled her closer.

"But, you are totally sexy when you get possessive and territorial."

"Have I told you how great your legs look in that dress?" Emily asked, her eyes wandering down Spencer's body.

"Your eyes should be staying up here." Peter said, motioning to Spencer's face.

Emily's skin immediately grew warm and a lump formed in her throat as she was completely unaware that Peter had been walking up behind she and Spencer.

"Yes, sir. I…I'm…really sorry…" Emily stuttered.

"Don't let it happen again." Peter patted Emily's shoulder before walking off.

"Well…I've officially managed to embarrass myself in front of both of your parents this weekend." Emily exhaled loudly. "Do you think he was really upset?" Emily asked nervously.

"Em, he was just kidding. Relax."

* * *

"Come on, Spence. You didn't feel anything between us?" The boy who had put the garter on Spencer's leg followed her across the room. "Nothing at all?"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" She turned around to face him. "I'm gay."

"Maybe you just need the right guy to show you-"

"No. I don't need to hook up with a guy to know that I'm gay."

"I was just-"

"Being a jerk." Spencer cut him off. "One more idiotic, offensive comment like that and I'll let my girlfriend kick your ass." Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand.

"All right. Fine. There are other hot girls here." He shrugged.

"Good. Go find one." Spencer said.

He then turned and walked off without another word.

"He can be such a tool." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Seems like it." Emily agreed.

"Thank God I go for a much more mature type."

Emily smiled as she leaned down to kiss Spencer.

"Hey, will you take a picture with me for my mom? She texted me a little while ago asking for one." Emily said.

"Of course I'll take a picture with you. Let's go get one of my friends to take a good one for us." Spencer said, spotting Hanna, Caleb, Aria, Noel, Alison and Alison's date standing near the dessert table.

"Cool." Emily nodded and followed Spencer across the room.

"Hey, guys." Spencer said walking up to her friends. "Can one of you take a nice picture of Em and I for her mom?"

"Sure. I will." Hanna said.

"Awesome. Thanks." Spencer turned around and noticed that Emily had wandered closer to the table and had a cookie in her hand as well as one in her mouth.

"Give Hanna your phone." Spencer said.

Emily reached into her pocket with her free hand and gave her phone to Hanna.

"Ready?" Emily asked, her mouth still full.

"Swallow first." Spencer laughed.

"Does she always bug you to swallow?" Alison joked. "You know you don't have to if you don't want to, Emily."

Emily couldn't help but laugh as she stuffed the other cookie into her mouth.

"Shut up, Ali." Spencer laughed too. "You're getting crumbs all over your suit." Spencer reached up and brushed the crumbs from Emily's shirt and jacket. "I can't take you anywhere." She straightened Emily's shirt collar.

"Sorry. But, these are really good cookies."

"They're my mom's specialty." Spencer said.

"Do you think she could make me some?" Emily asked.

"I'll make sure you get a whole bunch to take home."

"Thanks. Just don't tell my mom I've been eating another mom's cookies when we go to Texas next week. "She'll be pissed."

"It'll be our little secret." Spencer giggled. "Come on, let's get a cute picture to send her."

Emily placed one of her arms around Spencer's waist as Spencer wrapped her arm around the small of Emily's back. Spencer placed her other hand on Emily's abdomen and smiled brightly as she looked over at Hanna.

"God, you guys are so adorable together. It makes me sick." Hanna joked as she raised the phone up and snapped a few pictures.

* * *

Later that night Emily found herself out on the dance floor with Nana Hastings.

"I'm so glad that I finally got to meet you." Nana said.

"Me too. Spencer was really excited to introduce me to the family, so I'm hoping she wants to keep me around for a while."

"Oh, I think you'll be around for quite some time. I'd love for all of you to come down to Florida for a visit."

"You would?"

"Absolutely. The family usually comes down for a week or so during the summer. I hope you'll join them."

"That sounds great. I'd love to come."

"Wonderful. You seem to be getting along well with the rest of the family. My Casey has certainly taken a liking to you, hasn't she?"

"A little, I guess." Emily nodded. "She's pretty friendly."

"I wanted to say, I'm sorry things were so difficult between you and my son for a while."

"It's all right. I don't have any hard feelings toward him. I'm just glad we've been able to move on."

As they danced, Melissa walked over.

"Mind if I cut in?" Melissa asked.

"Sure thing." Emily nodded and slowly stepped back from Melissa's grandmother. "She's all yours."

"Actually, I was hoping to dance with you." Melissa looked over at Emily.

"With me?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Mm hmm."

"You wouldn't dare deny the beautiful bride a dance request on her wedding day, would you?" Nana said.

"No, of course not." Emily shook her head.

"Thanks, Nana." Melissa said.

"Of course, honey. I got to dance with Spencer's adorable girlfriend, now I'll just go see if I can get my hands on that handsome husband of yours." Nana Hastings laughed. "Thank you for the dance, Emily."

"No, thank you. The pleasure was all mine."

Melissa stepped forward and placed her hands on Emily's shoulders. Emily then placed her hands on Melissa's hips.

"Thanks for inviting me to your wedding." Emily said sincerely.

"I'm really glad you came. I'd been meaning to get a dance with you, but I've been a little preoccupied."

"Well, you are the bride." Emily laughed. "You're in pretty high demand today."

"I can't believe I'm actually a married woman now. It doesn't seem real."

"I'm sure it'll take a little time to sink in, but Wren's a really lucky guy."

"Thanks."

"When are you guys leaving for your Honeymoon?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait. I get to spend almost two weeks traveling all over Europe with my husband. It doesn't get better than that."

"I don't know how it possibly could." Emily smiled.

"You know, Em, when I met you over the summer, I never imagined I'd be dancing with our architect at my wedding...but, I'm really glad that I am."

"Thanks, Melissa."

"Now that we'll be done with all of the crazy wedding planning stuff, I'm hoping Wren and I will have some more time to spend with you and Spencer. We should try to double at least every once in a while."

"That sounds great."

"Good. I love hanging out with you guys. Wren's officially part of the family now and I'm sure it's only gonna be a matter of time before you are too."

* * *

As the night began to wind down, many of the guests had given their last well-wishes to Melissa and Wren before heading home or back to their hotels.

"There's still time for one more dance." A slow song began to flood the room as Spencer stood up from the table where she and Emily were sitting with both of Spencer's grandmothers as well as her parents.

"Let's go." Emily stood up and happily walked out to the dance floor with Spencer's hand in her own.

Spencer draped her arms over Emily's shoulders as the architect placed her own hands around Spencer's waist. Emily and Spencer slowly swayed back and forth to the music.

"I danced with a lot of people today...but you're still my favorite of all." Spencer nestled her face against Emily's chest.

"You're mine too. You look so beautiful tonight." Emily gently slid her hands up the small of Spencer's back.

"Thanks." Spencer pulled back and stared up at Emily.

As they danced, Spencer glanced over Emily's shoulder at her sister who was dancing with Wren across the room. Melissa caught Spencer's gaze from over Wren's shoulder and gave her younger sister a small, friendly smile.

"I can't wait until we get to do this at our own wedding." Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes.

"Neither can I." Emily smiled. "I love you, Spence."

"I love you too."

Emily leaned down and captured Spencer's lips in a chaste kiss.

Nana Hastings stared across the room at Melissa and Wren and Spencer and Emily as both couples shared a kiss with their respective significant other.

"You two better appreciate this while you can, it's a beautiful moment between both of your girls." Nana Hastings looked over at Peter and Veronica.

"It is." Veronica agreed, placing her hand on top of her husband's.

 

 


	89. Chapter 89

Once the wedding had officially come to an end, after Melissa and Wren had disappeared to their honeymoon suite, Emily, Spencer and an extremely intoxicated Casey made their way toward the elevator.

"Okay, so that wedding actually turned out to be kinda fun." Casey slurred, stumbling through the hotel lobby.

"Well, you did spend like half an hour making out with Wren's cousin." Spencer rolled her eyes and pushed the up button on the elevator.

"What? He was a good kisser. And his accent was sexy." Casey slipped off her heels. "He was a little too anxious though. He had a boner the whole time, but who could blame him?"

Casey bent down to pick her heels up and stumbled forward, nearly falling down.

"I got it." Emily helped Casey stand upright and steadied her before picking up the shoes from the floor.

"Thanks. You're a peach." Casey giggled uncontrollably and wrapped her hands around Emily's forearm for balance as they stepped onto the elevator.

Spencer selected the appropriate floor button. The elevator jerked to life and began to move. Casey squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the contents of her stomach slosh around as the elevator ascended. She leaned her back hard against the wall for extra support and tightly squeezed Emily's arm.

"Are you all right?" Emily looked down at Casey when she felt the added pressure around her arm. "You're not gonna puke, are you?"

"Please, I haven't puked from drinking since high school. That's so lame."

"If you say so…but, if you do need to puke, don't do it on my suit. You can just puke on Spencer." Emily laughed.

"Hey!" Spencer glared at Emily, very offended. "Ass." She playfully slapped Emily's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"I was just kidding." Emily snorted.

"I'm fine." Casey said. "I told you, I can handle my liquor."

When the elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and Spencer stepped off first, followed by Emily along with Casey still clinging tightly to her side.

"Do you have the keycard?" Casey asked, slipping her hand into Emily's back pocket.

"Not in there." Emily pulled Casey's hand out of her pocket as she felt the brunette's fingers grope her backside.

"In here then?" Casey slipped her hand into Emily's front pants pocket, feeling around for the key.

"No, no." Emily pulled Casey's hand out of her pocket again.

"If you put that hand anywhere else on Emily where it doesn't belong, you're losing it." Spencer said, half-jokingly. "Just because you're a horny drunk, doesn't mean you can feel up my girlfriend."

"Horny drunks must run in the family, huh?" Emily chuckled.

Spencer rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah well, it's okay when I drunkenly feel you up."

"Chill out." Casey turned to face her cousin. "So I copped a couple of cheap feels. Is it my fault she's got a fantastic ass?"

"Oh, so that's all I am, just a sex object?" Emily said sarcastically as she fished the key card from her jacket pocket and inserted it into the door.

"Shut up." Casey and Spencer said in unison.

"Wow, so sassy." Emily laughed, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

"Seriously though, Spence, you're the lucky one here." Casey leaned over to her cousin. "You get to have her fuck you when ever you want." She intended to whisper, but due to her intoxicated state, she spoke extremely loudly.

"Okay." Emily cleared her throat and flipped the light switch on. "I think you probably need to sleep this off."

Casey shuffled a few steps forward and clutched the back of Emily's jacket to steady herself.

"Can you fucking stand still for two minutes?" Casey complained, suddenly feeling a little dizzy.

"Here, let me help you into bed." Emily tossed Casey's shoes away and slipped her arm around the small brunette's waist as she slowly walked her over to the bed.

Spencer pulled the blanket down and waited for Emily to help Casey lie down on the bed. Once Casey was in bed, she rolled over onto her side and almost immediately fell asleep, drooling all over her pillow. Spencer then covered her cousin up with blanket.

Emily walked over to the mini bar and took out a small bottle of water. She also took two aspirin from the bottle in the front pocket of her bag. She set the bottle of water and pills on the nightstand next to Casey's bed.

"She'll definitely want that in the morning." Emily said.

"Seriously." Spencer agreed.

"I don't understand how she drank so much without blacking out." Emily said. "I can't even drink that much and I'm over twice her size."

"She's a big party girl." Spencer walked over to her own bag and pulled out some pajamas for herself. "I'm sure she's built up a pretty strong tolerance."

"I guess that's true. I just hope she doesn't get that wasted at like frat parties and stuff. It can be really dangerous."

"I know." Spencer nodded. "Sometimes guys can be total pigs and won't take no for an answer. When you're not in the best state of mind, bad things happen."

"Yeah, exactly. Girls get taken advantage of way too often in those situations and I'd hate for anything to happen to her or anyone for that matter, you know?"

"You're sweet." Spencer smiled as she picked up Emily's pajama pants and tossed them at her. "But, I think tonight was different. She probably let her guard down a little since she was around people who would look out for her."

"I hope so." Emily said as she caught the pants and set them on the bed before slipping her jacket off.

"Would you mind giving me a hand with this zipper?" Spencer stepped over to Emily and turned around.

"No problem." Emily reached out and gently pulled the zipper of Spencer's dress down.

Spencer slipped her heels off, then removed her dress. She placed the dress into its garment bag and pulled on the same pair of plaid Texas Tech boxer shorts that she had worn the night before. Emily turned around as she began to unbutton her vest and shirt. Emily's eyes wandered down to the garter that Spencer was still wearing on her thigh.

"I totally forgot about this." Spencer grasped the garter in her fingers and pulled it down her leg.

"No. Leave it on." Emily said as she finished unbuttoning her shirt. "I like it."

"You do?" Spencer asked.

"Uh huh." Emily smirked. "I think it's really sexy."

"I'll keep it on then." Spencer walked over to Emily, placed her hands on either side of her girlfriend's face and kissed her.

Spencer slipped her bra off, put on her t shirt and headed toward the bathroom. Emily removed her shoes and placed them on the floor near her bag. She then walked back over to the bed, undid her belt buckle and slid her pants off. She folded the pants and neatly placed them on a hanger along with the rest of her suit. Now in only her underwear, Emily picked up her pajama pants and pulled them on. She reached behind her back, unhooked her bra and discarded it. She pulled on a black sports bra as Spencer walked out of the bathroom.

"You ready for bed?" Spencer asked.

"Yep." Emily said, tossing her garment bag onto the chair near the bed. "Could you grab me a shirt, please?"

"I think you're good without one tonight." Spencer smirked, her eyes wandering from Emily's bra down to the waistband of her pants as she walked over to the bed.

"What ever you want." Emily smiled.

Emily pulled the blanket down and got into bed. Spencer turned out the light and climbed into bed next to her girlfriend. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and buried her face into the architect's neck.

"Your sister's wedding was really nice." Emily said, placing her arm around Spencer's shoulder. "Thanks for bringing me along. I had fun."

"I'm so glad you could come with me." Spencer placed a kiss to Emily's jaw. "For a while I was worried that you'd still be stuck in Texas working and have to miss the wedding."

"I never would have missed it. Even if I only stayed in town for the weekend, I would have been here."

"Thanks." Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes.

Emily smiled, leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's. Spencer opened her mouth and deepened the kiss a little. Without breaking the kiss, Emily shifted her position until she was lying on her side. Spencer sunk down into the mattress as she felt Emily's tongue dip into her mouth. Spencer's fingers found Emily's hair; the brunette closed her eyes as she felt Emily's tongue roll against her own. Spencer's hands began to wander over Emily's bare shoulders and back. Things very quickly became more and more heated as Emily adjusted her position once again, slipping her knee in between Spencer's thighs. The couple had almost forgotten that Casey was asleep in the next bed only a mere few feet away. Emily's lips found Spencer's again, the architect aggressively slipped her tongue back into her girlfriend's mouth. Spencer couldn't help but release a small moan into the kiss when she felt Emily's hips gently thrust into her pelvis.

"Em?" Spencer broke the kiss, panting rapidly.

"Yeah?" Emily said, leaning down to kiss Spencer's neck.

Spencer's eyes rolled back into her head, she slipped her hand back into Emily's hair as she felt Emily's lips connect with her throat.

"Are you gonna take my clothes off or are you just gonna dry hump me all night?" Spencer whispered.

"Oh trust me, it's not dry." Emily said matter-of-factly, staring down into Spencer's eyes. "Not even a little bit."

Spencer chuckled. "Well...you wanna..." She anxiously bit her bottom lip.

"I want to...really bad...but...Casey..."

"She's passed out...watch." Spencer looked over at her cousin.

"Hey Casey." Spencer called out loudly, but got no response other than snoring. "She's out cold. There's no way she'll hear us..."

"But, what if she wakes up and sees us..."

"Then she'll be crazy jealous of me." Spencer placed a kiss to Emily's lips. "But, I brought our strap on and we can stay under the blanket. She won't see anything if she would wake up."

"Wait, you brought it?" Emily smirked.

"Yep. When I was at your apartment, packing your bag for the weekend, I put it in there. Just in case."

"Awesome. I didn't even notice it. Hang tight, babe." Emily practically jumped out of bed and leapt across the room to her bag.

The architect rummaged around through the bag until she felt the silicone shaft of the toy brush against her fingertips.

"Did you grab any condoms or no?" Emily asked.

"There should be a couple in there somewhere."

"Got it." Emily pulled the toy from the bag as well as a condom. "Think I should turn the TV on to cut down out the noise?"

"That's a good idea. I can't guarantee I'll be quiet." Spencer smirked, patiently waiting for Emily to come back to bed.

Emily turned the TV on and walked back over to the bed. She tossed the condom packet onto the nightstand and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up over both she and Spencer.

Emily slipped off her pajama bottoms and underwear and carelessly dropped both garments off the bed. She then wiggled into the harness and secured it around her waist. She then reached over to the nightstand and picked up the condom. She ripped open the packet, removed the condom and tossed the packaging onto the floor with her clothing. Emily reached underneath the blanket and rolled the condom onto the toy. Spencer reached up and placed her hand behind Emily's head, pulling her down for another heated kiss. Spencer aggressively slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth; as they kissed, Emily's hands wandered down to the waistband of the boxer shorts that Spencer was wearing. Emily grasped the shorts in her hands and pulled them down as far as she could. Without breaking the kiss, Spencer wiggled the rest of the way out of the shorts and kicked them off. Spencer's hands slid up Emily's back and to her shoulders. Spencer lifted up Emily's bra, exposing her breasts. Emily then broke the kiss, quickly pulled her bra up over her head and tossed it to the floor. She grasped the bottom of Spencer's t shirt and pulled it up her abdomen. Spencer sat up just slightly so that Emily could pull the shirt over her head. Once the shirt was gone, Emily almost immediately leaned down and began aggressively kissing Spencer's neck. The brunette groaned a little when she felt Emily suck hard on her pulse point.

"Em..." Spencer moaned softly, feeling Emily's tongue graze against her skin.

Emily moved upward and pressed her lips to Spencer's. A sudden rush of heat flooded Emily's center when she felt her own pierced nipples brush against Spencer's bare breasts. Emily slowly trailed her hand down Spencer's body. She ran her fingers over the small lace garter on Spencer's thigh. Emily slipped two of her fingers into Spencer's center to ensure that she was adequately lubricated. The architect gently teased her girlfriend with her fingers, heightening her arousal. Emily spread Spencer's legs a little further apart and took the shaft of the toy into her hand. She fumbled a little underneath the blanket, but after a few moments, she was able to line herself up with Spencer's entrance. Emily slowly pushed only the tip inside, but stopped when she felt a little resistance.

"You okay?" Emily whispered. She stared down into Spencer's eyes, the brunette's face only slightly illuminated by the glow of the television screen. "You seem a little tense. We don't have to do this, if you're uncomfortable with Casey-"

"No. I want to." Spencer cut Emily off, slipping her hand into the architect's hair. "I've been thinking about this all weekend."

"Okay. As long as you're sure." Emily smiled. "Just relax and let me do the hard work."

Emily leaned down to kiss Spencer again as she slowly pushed deeper inside of her girlfriend.

"Mmm...Em..." Spencer groaned into the kiss once Emily was all the way inside her.

"You all right?" Emily asked softly.

"Uh huh." Spencer mumbled.

Emily gently began thrusting in and out, steadily gaining speed.

"Shit." Emily grunted, her own arousal increasing each time she pushed herself deeper into her girlfriend.

Spencer closed her eyes as her hands wandered over Emily's shoulders. Spencer's fingernails dug hard into Emily's skin as the architect pulled almost all the way out and pushed back in. The speed and force of Emily's thrusts increased as she felt her girlfriend's fingernails scratch up and down her back. After a particularly rough thrust from Emily, Spencer let out an unexpected high-pitched squeak, not out of discomfort, but rather out of pleasure.

"I'm really sorry." Emily said sincerely as her movement halted. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. Keep going." Spencer urged her girlfriend to continue. "Please."

Emily ran her fingers through her own hair, pushing it out of her face as she resumed thrusting.

"God..." Spencer moaned, her hands tightly gripping the pillow beneath her head. "Harder."

Emily placed her hands on either side of Spencer's shoulders as her body glided over top of the brunette's. Due to the fact that they were underneath the blanket, Emily found herself becoming extra sweaty from the excess body heat. Spencer began thrusting her hips upward as she moved her hands back to Emily's shoulders. Spencer tried her best to keep her voice down, but found herself having an extremely difficult time doing so. Emily quickly smashed her lips against Spencer's, stifling her voice. Spencer's hands slowly slid down Emily's sweat dampened skin. It was only a few minutes later that Emily and Spencer heard Casey shift in her bed.

"Fuck." Emily groaned softly, freezing mid-thrust as she heard Casey get up out of bed.

Casey stumbled over to the bathroom and closed the door.

"If we have to listen to her barf I don't think I'll be able to finish." Emily said.

"Cover your ears then. Because I'm not done yet." Spencer said, running her fingers through Emily's hair. "And I'm gonna need your help."

Spencer sighed and sunk down into the mattress as Emily laid awkwardly on top of her, perched on her forearms. Emily exhaled heavily, patiently waiting and hoping that Casey would fall back asleep as quickly as she did the first time. Emily adjusted her body weight, causing Spencer to release a small groan as she felt Emily shift inside of her.

"I'm sorry this is so awkward." Emily said softly. "You want me to like get off of you until Casey goes back to sleep?"

"No, you're okay. Just stay where you are." Spencer gently rubbed her palm up and down the sweat-drenched small of Emily's back.

"Do you think she'll go back to sleep soon?" Emily asked anxiously. "I don't know how much longer I can stay still."

"I know. This is driving me nuts. Hopefully, she won't be long."

Spencer slid her hands over Emily's breasts and gently began fondling her nipple rings. Emily's nipples grew painfully stiff; she closed her eyes and groaned at the incredibly pleasurable sensations as she buried her face into Spencer's shoulder.

"God damn it. Are you trying to torture me?" Emily said gruffly into Spencer's soft, sweat-moistened skin.

"Just keeping your interest up." Spencer wrapped her legs around Emily's waist, crossing her feet at the ankles and causing Emily to penetrate slightly deeper. "I don't want you to lose excitement."

"Trust me, there's no chance of that. And if you keep playing with my nipple rings, my...excitement's gonna be all over these sheets in about five minutes." Emily snorted.

Spencer laughed as Emily lightly nipped at her neck. Emily had begun slowly moving her hips very slightly to create some much needed friction to help alleviate the overwhelming ache between her legs, though Emily found herself having an increasingly difficult time refraining from thrusting.

It was only a few minutes later that Casey shuffled out of the bathroom and back to her bed. She reached back and struggled to unzip her dress. Once she was able to get the zipper half way down, she wiggled out of the dress and kicked it to the floor near the bathroom door.

"That's so much better." Casey said, flopping down on the bed in her underwear. She yawned loudly and rolled over, almost instantly passing out.

"Casey." Spencer called out. "Are you awake?"

Again, Casey didn't respond.

"So...we're good, right?" Emily asked, staring down at her girlfriend.

"Yeah. Go." Spencer answered anxiously. "And don't you dare fucking stop until I say so."

"Yes, ma'am." Emily smirked to herself, extremely aroused by Spencer's commanding tone.

Emily placed her palms flat on the mattress and immediately resumed thrusting in and out at a hurried pace. Fresh droplets of sweat beaded all over Emily's neck, chest and abdomen. The architect's bare breasts were pressed tightly to Spencer's as she glided overtop of her body.

"Mmm...God." Spencer's voice was low and raspy as she gripped a fistful of Emily's thick raven locks in her hand.

Emily leaned down and began aggressively kissing Spencer's neck and chest in an attempt to quiet her own grunts and moans. The architect shrugged the blanket off of her shoulders causing it to fall down to the small of her back. Spencer wrapped her hand around Emily's forearm when she felt her girlfriend's mouth encircle one of her painfully erect nipples and begin sucking.

Spencer's eyes fluttered closed when she felt Emily's tongue flick over her nipple. The speed and force of Emily's thrusts quickly increased as she felt Spencer's grip on her forearm tighten. After a few minutes, Spencer ran her hands over Emily's back and up her shoulders. Emily removed her mouth from Spencer's nipple and smashed her lips against her girlfriend's.

Spencer dug her fingernails into Emily's skin as she forced her tongue into the architect's mouth.

"Don't stop, Em." Spencer mumbled into the kiss.

"You close?" Emily growled in a deep, breathy tone when she broke the kiss.

"Yeah..." Spencer held on tightly to Emily's shoulders; she spread her legs to give Emily better access.

"Oh...Em..." Spencer moaned more loudly than she meant to, but at the moment she found herself unable to hold back and much too aroused to care.

Emily stared down at Spencer, she locked eyes with the brunette as her thrusts became quicker and shorter with each passing moment. Emily's heart pounded hard against her chest, her breathing was extremely heavy and she never took her eyes off of Spencer. Spencer's breath caught in her throat and she held on tightly to Emily's shoulders as she felt her girlfriend continue to slide in and out of her body. Emily brushed against Spencer's most sensitive areas with each stroke, bringing the brunette closer and closer to the edge. At this point, Spencer couldn't manage to keep her eyes open any longer. She felt an extremely intense tightening sensation deep within the pit of her stomach.

"God, Em…" Spencer panted, her muscles quickly contracting as she finally reached a tremendously satisfying climax.

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips against Spencer's, quickly quieting her girlfriend's moans. Emily slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth and smiled into the kiss, very satisfied with her own performance.

Emily continued thrusting, helping her girlfriend to ride out the remainder of her orgasm. After having made sure that Spencer had climaxed first, Emily found herself now able to focus on her own pleasure. Emily snaked her right hand down her own body. She slipped two of her fingers underneath the harness and began roughly rubbing her most sensitive spot, attempting to bring herself the release that she so desperately desired.

"Fuck." Emily's chest tightened and she grunted huskily. Her thrusts had already slowed considerably and a strong euphoric sensation overwhelmed her entire body.

"Shit." Emily removed her hand from her body and exhaled a heavy sigh of relief as her orgasm began to subside.

Spencer slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Emily. After a few seemingly long moments, Emily ran her hand through her dampened hair. She exhaled a few more heavy breaths before leaning down and placing a kiss to Spencer's lips.

"I love you." Emily said when the kiss was broken.

"I love you too." Spencer smiled.

Emily then slowly pulled out of Spencer's body and removed the condom from the toy. She tossed the condom into the trash and pulled the blanket back up over their bodies before lying down next to her girlfriend. Spencer immediately wrapped her arms around the architect's body, clinging tightly to her girlfriend.

"You're extra sweaty tonight." Spencer said, using her palm to wipe away some of the excessive perspiration from Emily's chest. "You want me to move over? We don't have to cuddle if you're too warm."

"No, I'm fine." Emily lifted her arm and placed it around Spencer's shoulder. "Cuddle away."

"Gladly." Spencer happily buried her face into the architect's chest.

"So, I'm sorry about being a little too aggressive before...I just…I was really turned on and...I, um, got a little carried away...I really hope I didn't hurt you at all, I didn't mean..."

"Em, it's okay. I like when you get aggressive. It's really hot."

"You're sure?"

"Definitely. I don't mind at all if things get a little rough. I'm totally into that. I mean, I'm not saying that I want you to like hit me or something, but-"

"God, no. No, I'd never even think of doing tha-"

"I know you wouldn't." Spencer cut Emily off. "Don't worry." She gently raked her fingernails across the architect's bare stomach.

"You'd let me know if you didn't like something I was doing or if you wanted me to stop, right?" Emily laced her fingers with Spencer's underneath the blanket. "You know I don't ever wanna make you uncomfortable in any way."

"Of course I'd tell you, but I've never been anything but comfortable with you. I promise. Thanks for caring so much though."

"It's my job." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer on top of the head.

* * *

The next morning.

Spencer sighed contently as she felt Emily wrap her arms around her body. Emily pulled Spencer closer in her sleep, spooning the smaller brunette. Spencer slowly opened her eyes, smiling to herself as the sound of Emily's snoring resonated in her ear. Spencer nestled her back against Emily's body, she could feel the tip of the silicone toy that was still strapped around her girlfriend's waist poke into the small of her back as Emily shifted a little. Spencer glanced over at the other bed where she noticed that her cousin was still sound asleep. Spencer reached over the edge of the bed and picked up her boxer shorts, she sat up and slipped the shorts on underneath the blanket. Spencer then quietly slipped out of bed and picked up her t shirt and slipped it on. She noticed the condom wrapper lying on the floor, near Emily's pajama bottoms. Spencer picked up the wrapper and discarded it into the trashcan. She took a few tissues from the box on the nightstand and tossed them into the can as well, covering the wrapper and used condom, which had been the only two items in the can. Spencer then headed off to the bathroom where she took a long, hot shower, brushed her teeth and put her pajamas back on before leaving the bathroom.

When Spencer returned to the bedroom, she glanced over at the bed as Emily began to stir. Emily rolled over onto her back and raised her arms up. She lifted her hips up off the bed as she stretched out her back.

"Got a little morning wood there, champ?" Spencer laughed, noticing that the lower portion of the blanket was sticking up over Emily's waist, since she hadn't removed the strap on the night before.

"Oh shit." Emily's eyes snapped open as she quickly rolled over onto her side. "I overslept. I meant to get up early to put clothes on."

"Chill, babe. Casey's not even awake yet." Spencer said.

"Good." Emily wrapped herself in a sheet and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up, bent down and picked up her pajama pants and underwear.

Spencer walked over to Emily. She slipped her hand into the architect's hair and kissed her passionately.

"Wow. What was that for?" Emily smirked when the kiss was broken.

"No one reason in particular." Spencer smiled, leaning in for another kiss.

"It's too bad you already showered." Emily said. "I would've asked you to join me...and my little friend." She laughed, glancing downward, between her legs.

"I think you mean your not so little friend." Spencer laughed. "And...another shower couldn't hurt, there's no such thing as being too clean, right?" She placed both of her hands on either side of Emily's face and pressed her lips to the architect's again.

Emily closed her eyes and slowly slipped her tongue into Spencer's open mouth.

Across the room, Casey slowly opened her eyes and rolled over onto her back.

"Well, sure looks like you guys are having a good morning." Casey laughed, sitting up in bed.

Emily quickly pulled away from Spencer. She used one of her hands to keep the bed sheet securely wrapped around her body while the other clutched her pajama pants and underwear.

"I'm just gonna go shower." Emily's skin flushed slightly. She held her clothing tightly in front of her waist hoping that Casey hadn't noticed any outline of the toy as she turned around and quickly slipped into the bathroom.

"I can't believe you actually had sex with her last night..." Casey said.

"You said you didn't care if we messed around." Spencer crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't. I'm just surprised that you actually did it, that's all. I thought you were too much of a prude. But, I see that we're totally defying daddy's wishes. You slut." Casey laughed.

"You know what they say...takes one to know one." Spencer smirked.

"Fair enough." Casey shrugged. "I'm actually proud of you though." She laughed.

"You couldn't have waited a few more minutes to wake up and be proud of me? I was about to get some hot shower action, but you had to scare Emily off."

"My bad. Didn't mean to cock block you. I hate it when that happens."

"I guess I'll get over it. But, shouldn't you be hung over and miserable right now? You were completely wasted last night."

"Eh, I'm all right. Aside from the pounding headache."

"Emily put some water and a couple of aspirin on your nightstand after she put you to bed last night."

"What a saint." Casey reached over to the nightstand and picked up the pills. "No wonder you love her."

Casey placed the pills into her mouth and opened the bottle of water. She took a small sip and swallowed the aspirin. "So, what's with the huge cross tattoo? Is Emily like a big Jesus freak or something?"

"Casey!" Spencer chided.

"What? I was just asking."

"She was raised very Catholic, so religion's important to her and her family. She goes to church pretty much every week. But, she's not like one of those judge-y, condescending type Christians or anything like that."

"Well, that's good. So...how was last night anyway?" Casey asked, setting the bottle of water back on the nightstand. "Did you give Emily a true religious experience?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked confused.

"You know…oh God, oh God, oh God." Casey fake moaned and panted loudly.

"Shut up." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I actually didn't hear anything...so either I passed out really hard or you guys are great at being quiet..." Casey reached to the end of the bed and picked up her robe. "Or else Emily's just not that good. But, I really wanna believe it's not the last one." Casey laughed as she slipped the robe on. "I think those scratches on her shoulders speak for themselves though, don't they?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively at her cousin. Spencer blushed a little. "She's definitely good. So don't worry, you can keep that fantasy alive." Spencer laughed, sitting down on the bed, next to her cousin.

"I'm glad." Casey laughed too. "I would've hated to find out that her studliness stopped at the bedroom."

"You think Emily's studly?" Spencer chuckled a little.

"Oh my God, yeah. Don't you?" Casey said matter-of-factly.

"Well, I mean I guess she kinda is." Spencer smirked.

"Yep...then again I may be biased. I usually do tend to have a little bit of a thing for the butch ones, to be honest." Casey said.

"I don't think Emily's overly butch though."

"She isn't. She's got a pretty good balance."

"I think so." Spencer nodded in agreement. "She's rugged and strong and you should see her use power tools. But, she's still super sensitive and really sweet, even if she does try to hide it a lot of the time. I'm so glad my dad hired her."

"Seriously. You're so lucky. My dad's never once hired anyone hot. Well, I mean except for that one nanny Bridget and I had, but I was like ten when she worked for us." Casey laughed.

"Wait, so you knew that early on that you were attracted to women?"

"Sure. I mean, I knew that I felt something different, but I couldn't place it at the time. It wasn't until I got older that I realized what those feelings were and acted on them. If that makes any sense. It's kinda hard to explain."

"No, I totally get it." Spencer said. "I've felt pretty much the same way for most of my life."

"Like, I lost my virginity to a guy and everything when I was in high school." Casey said. "And I kissed a couple of girls, but I didn't actually have sex with a girl until my second semester at Columbia."

"Was it better than being with a guy?"

"Absolutely. Girls are so much better in bed than guys. In my own experience anyway...both are a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but at least another girl actually knows what a clit is and where to find it. You don't have waste time teaching her what to do. Know what I mean?"

"Makes perfect sense to me." Spencer laughed.

* * *

Early that afternoon, the Hastings family and Emily made their way downstairs to the hotel lobby.

"We better get going to the airport." Peter said. "I don't want Melissa and Wren to miss their flight."

"Are you and Emily coming to the airport?" Veronica looked over at Spencer. "Or are you just going to head home?"

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Spencer turned to Emily.

"Nope. I'm completely free."

"Would you mind going to the airport until Melissa and Wren leave?"

"Not at all." Emily smiled softly.

"Thanks. Maybe we can stop somewhere for lunch on the way home?"

"Sure. That'd be great."

"Melissa just texted me that she and Wren will be down in a minute." Peter slipped his phone into his pocket. "Let's go bring the cars up." He placed his arm around Veronica's shoulder.

"Do you need a ride to the train station?" Veronica glanced over at Casey and Bridget.

"Oh, no thanks, Aunt Veronica." Bridget said. "My boyfriend already called for a cab."

"All right. Thanks for coming, girls. It was nice to see you both."

Veronica and Peter said their last goodbyes to their nieces before exiting the hotel lobby.

"If you guys ever wanna come up to New York, let us know." Bridget said. "We'd love to have you."

"Yeah. We can have some fun. I know where all the good parties are." Casey laughed.

"We'll definitely have to plan something." Spencer said.

"Sure." Bridget leaned forward and hugged her cousin.

Bridget then looked up at Emily.

"It was really nice to see you again, Emily." Bridget said.

"You too." Emily leaned down as she also received a hug from the blonde.

"Let's try to keep in touch a little better, Spence." Casey wrapped her arms around her cousin. "We really need to hang out more."

"Definitely." Spencer returned the embrace.

Casey then focused her attention to Emily.

"I do get a hug, don't I?" Casey asked.

"Sure." Emily smiled as she opened her arms.

Casey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Emily's midsection, squeezing the architect as tightly as she could.

"Thanks a lot for the dance and for taking care of me last night." Casey spoke into Emily's chest.

"No problem." Emily replied as the embrace was broken.

"You let me know if Spencer doesn't treat you right. I'll kick her ass." Casey said.

"Thanks." Emily laughed.

Spencer rolled her eyes and laughed too.

"Oh and by the way, Em, I like the nipple piercings." Casey smirked. "Very sexy."

Emily immediately blushed and folded her arms across her chest. "I knew I should have worn a looser shirt today."

Emily squeezed her eyes closed in embarrassment as Bridget and Spencer both laughed.

"Aw, you're always so adorably shy when you get embarrassed." Spencer said, slipping her arm around Emily's waist.

* * *

"That's your flight." Peter stood up when he heard a voice over the airport loud speaker announce the first class boarding call.

"You ready?" Wren stood up and reached his hand down to his wife.

"Mm hm." Melissa nodded, taking Wren's hand as he helped her to her feet.

"Have a good trip." Veronica hugged Melissa and then hugged Wren. "Take a lot of pictures for me."

"Sure, mom." Melissa smiled.

"Bye, dad." Melissa wrapped her arms around her father.

"Enjoy your trip. We'll see you next week." Peter hugged his daughter tight.

"Let us know if you need anything while you're gone." Peter shook Wren's hand.

"Thank you, sir." Wren replied.

"Spence." Melissa turned to her younger sister. "Thank you so much for everything you did for the wedding. You were awesome. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Spencer hugged her older sister. "I'm glad I could help, but I'm glad it's over." She laughed.

"See ya guys." Emily hugged Wren, then Melissa. "I hope you have a nice honeymoon."

"Thanks." Melissa said. "Good luck giving your speech this weekend. I know you'll be great."

"Thank you. I'll do my best."

Peter, Veronica, Spencer and Emily waited as Wren and Melissa picked up their carry-on luggage and headed toward the terminal.

* * *

A few days later.

It was late evening when Peter returned home from work. He noticed Spencer sitting at the kitchen island seemingly working on a school assignment.

"Hey, Spence. Working on some homework?" Peter asked, setting his briefcase down on the island.

"Yeah, just some math. Nothing too exciting."

"Did you eat?"

"Not yet." Spencer looked up from her book. "I've been too busy."

"Do you feel like taking a break and getting some dinner with me? Your mom's not going to be home until late tonight. Unless you have plans with Emily or something, that's okay too."

"We don't have any plans tonight." Spencer shook her head. "I could cook something for us instead of going out, if you want."

"That sounds great. I'd actually love something home-cooked. Honestly, I'm getting a little tired of ordering out."

"I think we have some chicken in the fridge." Spencer closed her textbook and stood up.

"Perfect. Do you need any help?"

"I can handle it." Spencer said. She appreciated her father's offer, but knew that she'd stand a better chance in the kitchen alone.

"I'm going to put on the Phillies game then." Peter opened the refrigerator and took out a beer.

"Okay. Turn up the TV so I can hear it."

"Sure thing, sport. Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay. Thanks, dad."

Spencer took a package of chicken from the refrigerator as well as some various spices from the cabinet. Once Spencer had prepared the meat, she placed it into the oven and took some potatoes from the pantry. Spencer was in the middle of slicing one of the potatoes when she heard her phone ring. She set the knife down and pulled her phone from her pocket, noticing that Emily was the caller.

"Hey, Em. What are you up to?"

Peter turned the TV down, realizing that Spencer was on the phone.

"Not much, just got home from the gym. I wanted to see if you felt like coming over for dinner? I can cook something."

"I'd love to come over, but I'm actually in the middle of cooking dinner for my dad and I."

"Oh okay. No problem."

"You're welcome to come over and join us."

"It's okay. You should spend some time with your dad." Emily said sincerely. "I'll just practice my speech. We can do something tomorrow."

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Just call me before you go to bed."

"I will."

"Great. I love you, Spence."

"I love you too. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Em."

"Bye."

Spencer slipped her phone back into her pocket and continued preparing dinner. She put the potatoes into the oven with the chicken and walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch, next to her father to watch the baseball game.

"You know, you can go ahead over to Emily's if you want to." Peter glanced over at his daughter. "I'll be fine on my own."

"No, it's okay. I'll see her tomorrow. Let's watch the game."

"All right." Peter smiled.

* * *

About twenty minutes later.

"I'm going to check on the chicken. It's should be about done." Spencer stood up.

"I'll get some plates." Peter said as he followed his daughter into the kitchen.

"The chicken smells good, Spence." Peter said as Spencer took the pan from the oven and set it on top of the stove.

"Thanks. I hope it tastes okay."

"I'm sure it's perfect." Peter nudged his daughter with his elbow before filling up both plates with food.

Peter set the plates down on the island while Spencer took some silverware from the drawer. She then sat down next to her father and placed a knife and fork next to his plate.

"Thanks." Peter picked up his fork and knife and began cutting up his chicken.

"Have you talked to your sister at all since she left for her honeymoon?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, actually this afternoon she sent me a picture of her and Wren on their way to dinner in Rome."

"That sounds nice. I love Italian food. I hope they're having a good time."

"I'm sure they are. It's Europe. How could you not have a good time?" Spencer raised a chunk of potato to her mouth. "I'm jealous of the great food they're going to get to eat, while we're stuck here eating plain, boring chicken." She laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous. This chicken is great." Peter smiled.

"Thanks. I got the recipe from Emily. She's cooked it for me a couple of times. It's pretty good. It's better when she makes it though."

"Does she cook a lot?"

"Yeah. Fairly often, but usually only for me. She always complains that she hates cooking for just herself so I like to go over as often as I can. Then she'll cook. That way I get good food and it keeps her from eating all kinds of junk. It's a win-win for both of us."

"That's good." Peter laughed. "How's her speech coming along?"

"She's about finished with it. She's getting pretty nervous to give it though."

"I don't think she has anything to be nervous about. I'm sure she'll do just fine."

"That's what I keep telling her."

"When does your flight leave on Friday?"

"Four. So, I'm basically going from school right over to Emily's so we can get ready to go."

"Are Emily's parents pretty close to Texas Tech's campus?"

"No. They're like five hours away. That's why we're just flying into Lubbock and staying in a hotel for the night."

"Oh. I thought you were staying at her parents' house."

"We will on Saturday night. We'll drive back to Killeen with her parents after the speech."

"I never even thought about distance between Killeen and Lubbock." Peter raised a piece of chicken to his mouth. "Are her parents staying at the hotel too?"

"Yeah. They're gonna meet us there."

"And what are the sleeping arrangements going to be?"

"Well...Emily and I booked our own room."

"Alone? Spencer-"

"It's okay." Spencer cut her father off.

"I just don't know if it's a good idea for..."

"Listen dad, there's something I wanna talk to you about." Spencer set her fork down and looked over at her father. "Emily and I have..." She hesitated for a moment.

Peter quietly stared at his daughter, fairly certain of what she was about to say next, though he didn't necessarily want the confirmation.

Spencer swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before attempting to continue speaking. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Emily and I have already slept together." Spencer's heart pounded hard against her chest as she forced herself to finish her sentence.

Peter placed his fork on top of his napkin and closed his eyes, collecting his thoughts. Spencer nervously bit her lip, waiting for her father to respond.

"You..." Peter began to speak, but found that his words wouldn't cooperate.

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "I don't want you to be upset about this." She said calmly. "I didn't tell you to make you mad. I just wanna be honest with you."

"How...did...th...this..." Peter stuttered, finding himself unprepared to have this conversation with his youngest daughter. "I just..."

"Please don't be upset with Emily either. I promise she never pressured me at all, not even once. We talked a few times about taking the next step and she was nothing but patient and understanding until I was ready…"

Peter sighed heavily.

"You're just so young for this." He loosened his tie around his neck. "How long has this been going on..."

"Since right before she left for Texas." Spencer averted her eyes from her father's. "I didn't know when I would see her again...I didn't know if she'd run into her ex fiancée and fall back in love with her and leave me behind...there was so much going through my head at the time."

"I pushed you into it." Peter ran his hand through his hair. "The one thing I was trying to keep from happening, I made sure would happen when I sent her away. It's my fault."

"You're making this sound like we've done something wrong. It was gonna happen whether she left or not, eventually. It's no one's fault. It's not a bad thing. But, I need you to know that I never would have even considered sleeping with Emily if I didn't love her." Spencer placed her hand on top of her father's. "I know you were convinced that Emily only wanted sex from me, but you were totally wrong about her. She's still here and she loves me every bit as much as I love her."

"I guess this is one of those rare occasions when I'm glad that I was wrong about something." Peter smiled weakly.

"I'm glad too."

"But, I still think you're too young to...you know..."

"You're my dad. You're always gonna think that no matter how old I am." Spencer laughed. "But, you're not totally disappointed in me, are you?"

"I could never be disappointed in you." Peter shook his head. "I can't say that I particularly like this...but I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I already knew. I just convinced myself that if I didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen."

"I understand. You know this doesn't change anything, though. I'm still me, I'm the same person I always have been, I'm just not a virgin anymore. I have a lot reasons that I like being with Emily. Our whole relationship doesn't revolve around sex. There's so much more to it than that."

Peter nodded. "I appreciate you being honest with me…does your mother know?" He lifted his glass and took a drink of water, finding his throat suddenly very dry.

"Yeah. We already had a talk after the first time…" Spencer looked away and fiddled with the bracelet around her wrist.

"Okay. Good. I mean…you know I'm not great at talking about these kinds of things…but…if you need to talk…you can always come to me..."

"Thanks, dad...I love you." Spencer stood up and wrapped her arms around her father's neck.

"I love you too, Spence." Peter returned the embrace without any hesitation.

 

 


	90. Chapter 90

Later that evening.

Peter and Veronica had been upstairs getting ready for bed.

"So Spencer told you then?" Veronica turned around to face her husband.

"Yes." Peter nodded.

"And what did you say? You didn't yell at her, did you?"

"No. Of course not." Peter shook his head.

"And Emily is still alive and well, right?" Veronica asked sarcastically.

"She's fine." Peter laughed. "Spencer and I talked. I didn't get angry. I didn't yell at anyone."

"Really?" Veronica said, very surprised.

"Really." Peter nodded.

"I'm so proud of you." Veronica hugged her husband. "You've come such a long way with Emily and Spencer's relationship."

"Well, it's not like I'm happy with the idea of Spencer being sexually active. But, what am I supposed to do? I tried to keep them apart once and we saw how well that worked out...and I guess Emily's not such a bad person."

"I knew you liked Emily." Veronica laughed. "It just took a little coaxing."

"I'm only saying, I suppose there are worse people Spencer could have gotten involved with. I just miss the days when our girls were still little, you know?" Peter sighed. "We didn't have to worry about boyfriends or girlfriends…"

"There's nothing to worry about, honey. It's okay…come on, let's go to bed." Veronica placed her hand on her husband's shoulder and kissed him.

* * *

The next afternoon.

As soon as school was over, Spencer headed over to Emily's apartment. She parked her car and walked into the apartment where Emily was sitting on the couch, typing on her phone.

"Hey. You about ready to go?" Spencer asked. You did pack already, right? Or do I need to do that for you?" She laughed.

"Nope." Emily laughed too. "I already did. I was just waiting for you to get here."

Emily stood up and walked over to her girlfriend.

"We better get going." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer. "I'll load up the car."

Emily picked up her bags and walked toward the door.

"You do have your speech, don't you?" Spencer asked as she followed Emily outside.

"Yep. It's in my carry on."

"Good. Have you talked to your parents today?"

"Uh huh. They're on their way to Lubbock right now. My dad wants to take us out to dinner tonight."

"Aw. That sounds great."

Emily loaded her own bags into the trunk of her car. She then retrieved Spencer's baggage from the back of the Mercedes and loaded it into her car.

"Would you mind if we stopped for a quick coffee on the way?" Spencer asked.

"Sure we can. You didn't think I'd let you take a three hour plane ride without a little caffeine in your bloodstream, did you?" Emily laughed. "I'm a better girlfriend than that."

"You're a great girlfriend." Spencer smiled. "That's why I love you so much." Spencer reached up and kissed Emily on the cheek before walking around the car and getting into the passenger seat.

* * *

Emily slowed the car down and stopped at the red light in front of her. She reached over to the cup holder and picked up her paper coffee cup.

"So...last night I was talking to my dad about stuff and I kinda told him that you and I are...intimate. I thought you should know that I told him."

Emily's eyes widened and she choked on her coffee.

"You what?" Emily panicked, looking over at Spencer. "Are you crazy? Why would you..."

"Babe, relax." Spencer said, taking Emily's coffee cup from her and placing it back in the cup holder.

"I can't. He was just starting to like me...now he's gonna kill me." Emily swallowed hard as she proceeded through the intersection once the light changed green.

"No, he's not." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on Emily's thigh. "He took it fine. Way better than I expected even."

"Really?" Emily exhaled heavily and glanced over at Spencer.

"Yeah. I mean it's not like he's happy that I lost my virginity, but he wasn't mad or anything."

"Why did you tell him? Did he ask you?"

"No. We were talking about me going to Texas with you and ended up getting on the topic of sleeping arrangements at the hotel. I said we had our own room and of course he argued it a little. So I just calmly told him that it doesn't matter because we've already slept together."

"And you're absolutely sure that he didn't freak out?"

"Of course I'm sure. I was there." Spencer laughed. "I'm actually glad I was honest with him. Maybe now he'll give me a little bit more freedom with staying over at your place and stuff. He knows that no matter what he says or does, he can't change that we've already slept together."

"That's true, I guess. So...like what do I say to him now?"

"Nothing. It's not like he's gonna talk to you about this." Spencer moved her hand reassuringly over Emily's thigh. "It's fine. Don't worry so much."

"I'll try not to." Emily nodded.

* * *

When they finally arrived at their hotel in Lubbock, Emily and Spencer promptly checked in and headed up to their room.

Emily pulled her phone from her pocket when she heard it chime. Emily stared down at the screen and began typing. Spencer looked over at Emily and noticed a huge grin creep across her girlfriend's face.

"What are you all smiles about?" Spencer asked.

"Oh, nothing." Emily set her phone down on the nightstand.

"So...what color suit are you wearing tomorrow?" Spencer asked.

"A black one. With a red shirt."

"You should unpack it so it doesn't wrinkle."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting there." Emily laughed. "Can't we just relax for a little while first?"

Emily walked over to Spencer and scooped the brunette up into her arms. Emily laid Spencer down on the bed, then climbed onto the bed next to her.

"Are you ready to give your speech?" Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily and placed her head on the architect's chest. Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder and pulled her closer.

"I think I'm about as ready as I'm gonna get. But, I'm so nervous. Like really nervous...I could puke just thinking about it."

"Aw, babe. You'll be fine." Spencer slipped her hand up underneath Emily's shirt and gently caressed her abdomen.

"What if I mess up and humiliate myself?"

"That's not gonna happen. You've practiced the speech about a million times. You're gonna be great."

"Thanks." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer's forehead.

A moment later Spencer and Emily heard Emily's phone chime again.

"Could you grab that?" Emily asked. "It's probably my mom."

"Sure." Spencer reached over to the nightstand and picked up the phone.

Spencer opened Emily's texts and she noticed that the message wasn't from Pam, but rather from Emily's neighbor, Gwen. Though she didn't mean to, Spencer couldn't help but see part of the conversation between Emily and Gwen. They had been discussing the possibility of Emily asking Spencer to move in with her. Spencer knew she should have stopped reading the message, but she just couldn't. She smiled brightly to herself.

"What did my mom say?"

"It's not from your mom, it's from Gwen."

"Oh. Uh, let me have that." Emily reached for her phone and quickly took it from Spencer.

"Were you really thinking about asking me to move in with you?" Spencer asked.

"You saw that?" Emily squeezed her eyes closed.

"I didn't mean to, but I did...and you're avoiding my question. Tell me, were you actually considering that?"

"Well, yeah. I mean not like right now or anything, but at some point relatively soon. That is ultimately the goal, isn't it?"

"Uh huh." Spencer nodded. "Absolutely."

"I know you'll be moving into a dorm at UPenn in the fall and I've been thinking about maybe moving to Philly. I still wanna rent some office space in the city, so then I'd be closer to that and closer to you." Emily explained nervously. "I thought maybe eventually when you're ready to move off campus, you could move in with me."

"That would be great." Spencer smiled. "I'd love it."

"Good. I'm glad you're not like freaked out or anything." Emily ran her fingers through Spencer's hair. "I asked Gwen for some advice. I don't know what the right amount of time is to date a girl before asking her to move in. I know lesbians sometimes kind of have a bad reputation for moving in too soon."

Spencer laughed. "I think we're doing fine. I didn't back a U Haul up to your door after a week."

Emily laughed too.

"I know. I just love what we have and I don't wanna rush things and screw it up."

"We won't. I think the right amount of time is probably different for every couple."

"Probably." Emily agreed. "Let's just keep the idea out there and play things by ear. When the time feels right we can talk about it again."

"I think that's a good idea." Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's.

Spencer deepened the kiss and slowly moved to straddle Emily's waist.

"How long do you think we've got before your parents get here?" Spencer hands grasped Emily's belt buckle and yanked the prong from its hole.

"I uh...probably a little while anyway." Emily watched as Spencer unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans.

"Good." Spencer leaned down and pressed her lips to Emily's again as she slowly slipped her hand inside Emily's pants.

Emily closed her eyes and just when she slid her tongue into Spencer's mouth, as if on cue, her phone began ringing.

"Shit." Emily groaned breaking the kiss. "That's gotta be my mom."

Emily reached for her phone and picked it up. She glanced at the screen and the caller was in fact her mother.

"It's like she lives to cock block me." Emily shook her head and answered the call. "Hey, mom. What's up?"

"Hi, honey. Have you made it to the hotel yet?"

"Yep. We just got to the room."

"Good. Your father and I just pulled into the parking lot."

Spencer leaned down and gently placed a few kisses to Emily's neck. Emily leaned her head back and ran her fingers through Spencer's hair.

"What room are you in?" Pam asked.

"Four eighteen."

"All right. We'll check in and come find you."

"Okay. Sounds good."

Emily ended the call and stuffed her phone into her pocket.

"Are your parents almost here?" Spencer asked.

"They just got here. They're gonna check in and meet up with us."

"Do you think they'd mind if I took a quick shower before dinner?"

"I don't think so. We have time."

"Okay. I won't be long."

"Can I come with you?" Emily pulled Spencer down on top of her.

"Normally I'd say definitely. But, I'm not sure we wanna be in the shower together when your mom comes looking for us."

"True." Emily sighed.

"Don't pout. We're gonna continue this later."

"Can't wait."

Spencer kissed Emily one more time before rolling off of her girlfriend and heading to the bathroom. Emily laid still on the bed for a few minutes, hoping her strong arousal would soon dissipate. It was about five minutes later that she heard a knock at the door.

"Just a second." Emily called out.

Emily reached down, zipped and buttoned her jeans before re-buckling her belt. Emily then got up off of the, walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hi, sweetie. It's so good to see you." Pam wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Emily returned the embrace. "How are you?"

"Great. How's my baby?"

"I'm fine. Where's dad?" Emily asked, noticing that her father was nowhere in sight.

"Oh he had to call the base for something. Are you and Spencer about ready for dinner?" Pam asked, stepping into the room. "I hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving. We'll be ready soon. Spencer's taking a shower. She shouldn't be long. How was the drive?"

"It wasn't bad at all. We made great time." Pam said as she glanced over Emily's shoulder and noticed that the room only had one queen-sized bed. "Did you ask for a room with one bed?"

Emily nodded. "Spencer and I are a couple and it's not the fifties anymore. Most couples share a bed."

"Are you sleeping with her?" Pam asked bluntly, but calmly.

"Well...honestly…yeah..."

"Honey, sit down." Pam placed her hand on Emily's shoulder and guided her over to the bed.

"Look, I know you don't like the idea of pre-marital sex...and I get it, but I really don't wanna argue about this right now, okay? Please."

"I'm not trying to argue with you. You're an adult. You can make your own decisions about these things. Now, I'm assuming you're her first?"

"I am, but what does that-"

"Don't you dare hurt that girl, Emily." Pam said in her most serious, mother tone of voice.

"I won't." Emily laughed.

"I'm serious. You need to understand that she's younger and sex is a big deal for someone her age. I don't want you to take it lightly."

"I don't take it lightly it all. Spencer and I talked a lot before we decided to do anything. We didn't just jump into it. I know how important this was to her. I never would have let her do anything I felt like she'd regret."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, you better never treat her with anything but the respect she deserves."

"Of course, mom. I always do."

"Good. You better."

"So...now that you know we're sleeping together does that mean you'll let us both stay in my room this weekend when we get home?"

"I don't think so." Pam said matter-of-factly.

"But, you just said I can make my own decisions." Emily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"You can. When it's your own apartment or a hotel room that you paid for. But, when it's my house, it's still my rules."

"Fair enough." Emily laughed.

"Your dad and I are in room four thirty three." Pam stood up. "Let us know when you two are ready for dinner."

* * *

When Spencer got out of the shower, she quickly dried her hair and got dressed.

"Have you seen your parents yet?" Spencer asked.

"My mom was over here while you were in the shower."

"How is she?"

"She's good. She did question me about having a room with only one bed through."

"Is she mad about it? We can ask to get moved to another room." Spencer said.

"It doesn't matter, we're still gonna sleep in the same bed whether the room has one or two beds."

"Yeah, but if it makes your mom feel better...she doesn't have to know."

"It's cool. She's fine with us sleeping together."

"Wait...she's cool with us sleeping together or  _sleeping together_  sleeping together..."

"Both."

"She knows..."

"Yeah. She kinda had a sex talk with me while she was in here." Emily laughed.

"She's not mad or anything? She doesn't hate me?"

"Of course not. No one could ever hate you."

"She probably thinks I'm a total slut." Spencer squeezed her eyes closed.

"Oh yeah. She thinks you're a huge slut." Emily said sarcastically, though Spencer didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

"Oh my God." Spencer buried her face in her hands. "How am I supposed to spend the whole weekend with her...I..."

"I'm just kidding with you." Emily laughed. "Relax."

"You're such a jerk." Spencer reached over and playfully punched Emily in the arm. "I hate you."

"No you don't." Emily smirked as she slipped her arms around Spencer's waist. "Let's go find my parents, I'm starving."

 

 


	91. Chapter 91

Once Spencer had gotten dressed she and Emily headed over to the Fields' room. Emily knocked on the door and after only a moment Pam answered.

"Spencer honey, I'm so glad you could come." Pam stepped forward and hugged the brunette.

"Me too." Spencer happily retuned the embrace.

"Come on, Wayne, let's go." Pam turned around and called for her husband.

"Hi, girls." Wayne appeared in the doorway.

"I've missed you, Emmy." Wayne stepped out of the room and wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"I missed you too, dad." Emily smiled into her father's shoulder.

"And Spencer it's so good to see you again." Wayne smiled warmly as he placed his hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"It's good to see you too. I'm really glad I could be here."

"So you two about ready for dinner?" Wayne smiled as he closed the door to the hotel room.

"I am. I'm starving." Emily nodded.

"You and me both, kiddo." Wayne laughed.

* * *

"Are you ready to give your speech, honey?" Pam glanced across the table at her daughter.

"I'm really nervous. I don't know how I'm gonna manage to do it."

"Poor thing's been stressing out all week." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on top of Emily's. "I told you, you'll be great."

Pam noticed a very uneasy expression cross her daughter's face.

"There's nothing to worry about, sweetie, you'll be just fine." Pam said reassuringly.

"Thanks mom." Emily smiled weakly.

"So...Spencer, how's school going?" Wayne asked as he began to cut his steak. "Are you excited to graduate?"

"Oh definitely. But, I'm way more excited for Em to take me to the prom next week."

"You're going to the prom together." Pam smiled brightly. "That's so cute. Emily never had the chance to go to her own high school prom."

"That's what she told me." Spencer said.

"Her date came down with tonsillitis right before the dance and my Emily stayed with her the whole night to keep her company."

"I know. That's so adorable." Spencer smiled.

"Isn't she just the sweetest little thing?" Pam said proudly.

"She sure is." Spencer agreed.

"Geez." Emily rolled her eyes as she shoveled some food onto her fork and lifted it to her mouth.

"I'm just glad you're getting another chance to go to the prom." Pam said. "I felt terrible that you had to miss it."

"It wasn't a big deal to me, mom. It's not like the rest of my life depended on attending the prom." Emily laughed. "I mean I'm glad I get to take Spencer, but I didn't really care about my high school prom."

"Well, I want pictures. You two were absolutely adorable at your sister's wedding." Pam looked over at Spencer.

"Thank you." Spencer said. "We had a great time. My family really loved meeting Emily."

"That's good to hear." Wayne said.

"Mister Hastings even introduced me to some new potential clients."

"That's great. How's work going? You have any interesting jobs lined up?" Wayne asked.

"Uh, right now I'm finishing up a project for Spencer's friend's mom. Mostly just some outside stuff and a bathroom remodel. Nothing too terribly involved. I'm almost finished with it. And I applied for a job designing a supermarket in Philadelphia."

"When will you know if you got the job?" Pam asked.

"I don't know. I just applied for it last week, so it might be a while. The contractors I worked with at the Army base gave me a recommendation."

"I'm sure you'll get it." Spencer said. "Maybe by then you'll have your own office to work in."

"You're looking for office space?" Pam lifted a small bite of her chicken to her mouth.

"Yeah. I looked at a couple of places, but I wasn't too sold on them. They were pretty small."

"You are still checking out that place near my parents' office, aren't you?" Spencer asked.

"Yep. On Tuesday evening. You coming with me?"

"Sure. It seems pretty big from the outside. Hopefully it'll work out for you. It'll be nice for you to finally have your own space."

"I know. Now that I've got some extra money, I can afford something nice. I'll finally be able to get all of my work stuff out of my apartment. I'll have so much less clutter."

"Good. I know how much you hate cleaning." Pam laughed. "That's why you never do it."

"It's not that I hate it." Emily said. "I just haven't had a lot of extra time. And the time I do have I don't wanna waste cleaning."

"I'll make sure straightens up her apartment before you come to visit." Spencer patted Emily's arm. "I'll help her."

Emily rolled her eyes.

"Oh by the way, I talked to my parents and they said they'd love to meet and get together for dinner when you guys visit, I mean, if you'd be interested, that is."

"I think that would be lovely." Pam said.

"I agree. I'll look forward to meeting your parents." Wayne added.

"Awesome. I'll let them know to keep some time free that week."

* * *

The next morning.

Emily laid flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling of her hotel room. She noticed a small brown stain in the corner, near the window, likely due to water damage from a leaky spot in the roof. Emily's mind wandered to roof repair procedures as she subconsciously tried to occupy herself with thoughts other than those of the speech she would be giving in just a few short hours. Emily exhaled heavily as she felt Spencer's arms wrap around her body.

"Morning." Spencer smiled into Emily's chest.

"Morning." Emily replied. "You sleep okay?"

"Fine. How long have you been awake?" Spencer gently rubbed her hand up and down Emily's abdomen.

"Awhile. An hour, maybe."

"You're still pretty nervous, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You seemed pretty relaxed last night." Spencer gently raked her fingernails over Emily's bare abdomen.

"Well yeah. When we got back here after dinner and you basically ripped my pants off, I wasn't exactly capable of thinking about anything else at the time."

"Good. Then I did my job."

"Yeah you did." Emily smirked. "But anyway, I don't know how it never bothers you to speak in front of groups..."

"Aw Em. You don't think I ever get nervous?" Spencer asked.

"Well, not about this kind of stuff. You don't have to be. You're so confident and well-spoken and-"

"So are you." Spencer interjected. "You're gonna be great, but only if you let yourself relax. They asked you to talk about your own experience, there's no one out there who can give a better speech on that topic than you can. So stop being such a big baby, give your speech and inspire those architecture graduates." Spencer laughed.

Emily laughed too. "Okay. I think I can do it. Thanks for giving it to me straight. I needed that."

"That's what I'm here for." Spencer reached up and kissed her girlfriend. "We should probably get up and start getting ready though."

"Good idea." Emily nodded, stretching out. "I'm gonna go shower."

"You want your shirt?" Spencer asked, tugging on the shirt that she had slept in.

"Nah, I'm good. You've already seen me naked." Emily laughed.

Emily then rolled over and slowly got up out of bed.

* * *

Later that morning, Spencer and Emily heard a knock at their hotel room door.

Emily opened the door to find her mother and father standing on the other side.

"Are you and Spencer about ready?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah, almost. Spencer's still doing her hair. She always takes forever." Emily laughed.

"Hey, I heard that." Spencer said, walking out of the bathroom.

"I'm not wrong." Emily smirked.

Spencer rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

"You know I'm just kidding with you." Emily stepped over to Spencer and kissed her cheek.

"Speaking of hair, you should really put yours down." Pam reached behind Emily's head and gently pulled out the band that was holding her hair back.

"Why?" Emily rolled her eyes.

"Because you're so pretty with your hair down." Pam said. "Oh and I brought something for you." She reached into her purse and pulled out a small Texas Tech logo lapel pin, which she securely fastened to the lapel of Emily's jacket.

"Thanks mom."

"We should get going. I don't want to be late." Pam said.

* * *

"I should go let the dean know I'm here." Emily said, standing in the lobby of the arena when the commencement ceremonies would soon be held.

"We should be going in anyway. I want to get good seats." Pam said.

"Good luck, Emmy." Wayne hugged his daughter.

"Thanks dad."

"You know, your father and I have never been more proud of you, honey." Pam stepped forward, placing her hands on either side of Emily's face. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Emily smiled as she leaned down and hugged her mother.

"You're gonna be amazing." Spencer then wrapped her arms around Emily's body and hugged her tight. "I'm so proud of you too."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "Meet me back here after the ceremony."

* * *

Emily stood off to the side of the stage, pacing back and forth. She wiped the sweat from her palms off on her pants, anxiously waiting to be introduced by the dean of the architecture department. Emily took a few deep breaths and nervously ran her hand through her hair. After a few minutes, she heard her name over the loud speakers. She took in another deep breath and slowly exhaled all of the air within her lungs before smoothing out the sleeves of her jacket and walking out onto the stage. Emily approached the podium, thanked the dean and shook his hand. The dean then took a seat next to the podium, directly to the left of the group of graduates already seated on the stage. Emily pulled her note cards from her jacket pocket and set them down in front of her. She then adjusted the microphone and stared out at the crowd, full of parents, friends and family of the graduates.

Emily grasped the sides of the podium to keep her hands from shaking and audibly cleared her throat.

"Good morning everyone. Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment to sincerely thank the department of architecture for inviting me to speak here today." Emily tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and glanced over at the group of graduates. She smiled to herself upon realizing that there were almost as many female students on stage as there were males. "It was only a couple of years ago that I was sitting right where all of you are today...excited and ready yet at the same time completely terrified to begin my journey into the workforce." Emily glanced down at her note card then back to toward the audience.

As she continued speaking, Emily's eyes scanned the crowd, eventually noticing where her parents and Spencer were sitting. Pam sat up straight in her seat, smiling brightly from ear to ear as she listened to her daughter speak. Wayne sat next to his wife working the small video camera that Pam had no doubt insisted on bringing along. Emily's eyes shifted over to Spencer; She wasn't sure if Spencer had actually made eye contact with her or not, but either way Emily still gave her girlfriend a subtle half smile before glancing back down at her note card on the podium.

"I knew moving a thousand miles away from home right out of school and starting my own business wouldn't be easy. In fact, it scared me to death. But, I definitely wouldn't trade the experience I gained from it for anything."

Emily paused to take a breath and flip to the next note card.

"Whether you're planning on working as an architect or focusing on another aspect of the field, I'll be honest, a career in architecture is challenging...but also very rewarding. As an architect myself, I can say that there's nothing quite like seeing one of your own designs come to life and I sincerely hope that someday all of you will find jobs that you love as much as I love mine."

Emily took a moment to glance out at the audience, her eyes roaming over to her parents and girlfriend once again. As Emily continued speaking about her own personal experiences, her nervousness seemed to practically disappear.

"Today marks an ending of a significant part of your young adult lives as you cross this stage and conclude your undergraduate college careers." Emily again glanced over at the students seated on the stage. "However, today is more importantly a new beginning. Whether you'll be pursuing further education or heading straight out into the working world, I'm confident that the fantastic professors and wonderful staff here at Texas Tech have more than prepared you and provided you with the necessary skills for your future careers."

Emily glanced down at her notes for a second and then back up and over to the graduates.

"I suppose the best advice I can give all of you today is to tell you to take any job you're offered when you're starting out. Your first job may not be where you'd ultimately like to see yourself and that's okay. Just focus on getting your foot in the door, network and establish yourself in the field. Any experience, no matter how small the job, is absolutely worth your time. I promise you won't regret it in the long run. Before I finish, I'd like to wish all of you congratulations and good luck in your future endeavors. Enjoy today. Be proud of yourselves, you have every reason to be. And most importantly of all, never give up on your dreams."

Emily was then met with applause from the crowd in front of her, the graduates and the faculty.

"Thank you." Emily said into the microphone, gathering her note cards and slipping them into her jacket pocket as the dean approached the podium to proceed with the remainder of the ceremony.

* * *

After the ceremony had ended, Emily stood in the lobby waiting for her parents and Spencer.

"Honey, you were wonderful up there." Pam said, approaching her daughter and enveloping her in a loving embrace. "And did you see this nice write up about you in the program?" Pam showed Emily one of the multiple copies of the commencement program in her hand. "It has your picture and everything."

"Uh, no. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet..."

"Your mother picked up as many extra copies as she could find." Wayne chuckled.

"Well, I have to send one to all of our friends and family." Pam said, matter-of-factly. "Along with a copy of the video of your speech that your dad made. I hope it turned out okay."

"Oh no, mom. No one wants to be forced to see that. Okay? It's embarrassing when you brag about me."

"She has a right to brag." Spencer smiled, wrapping her hands around Emily's elbow. "You were so good."

"You really were, Emmy." Wayne agreed. "You didn't even seem nervous at all."

"And your grandparents would love to see your speech. They're just as proud of you as your father and I are. They already insisted that I have your father record it. "

"Wait, your parents or dad's?"

"Both." Pam said. "This is such an adorable picture of you, by the way." She showed Emily the photo in the program.

"Spencer picked it out. I did a short email interview and they asked me to submit a photo with it. That's the one Spencer liked the best."

"Obviously it was a great choice." Spencer smiled.

"Well, how about if I take everyone out for a late breakfast before we head home. It's gonna be a long drive." Wayne placed his arm around Emily's shoulder.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Pam said.

* * *

"Look at those two. Poor things must be so exhausted." Pam turned around and looked at the back seat where Spencer had her head resting on Emily's shoulder and both were fast asleep.

"I'm sure they've had a busy past couple of days." Wayne glanced at Emily and Spencer in the rear view mirror. "They had to fly straight here right after Spencer got out of school yesterday. They've barely had a chance to relax."

"At least they'll have the rest of the weekend. They don't have to leave until Monday."

"That's true. It should give them some time to recharge."

"Do you want me to drive for a while, honey?" Pam looked over at her husband from the passenger seat.

"No, I'm fine." Wayne shook his head. "We'll need to stop for gas soon though."

"Good. I need to use the restroom anyway."

After about twenty minutes more of driving, Wayne pulled the car into the parking lot of the next gas station they came across. When she felt the car stop, Emily slowly opened her eyes and yawned. As Emily shifted in her seat and stretched out her back, Spencer also woke up.

"Did you two have a nice nap?" Pam asked.

"Yeah. I was out cold." Emily laughed. "Where are we?"

"About two hours away from home." Wayne said. "It won't be much longer now." He then got out of the car and walked around the other side to the gas pump.

"There's a coffee shop across the street. I'm gonna walk over and get myself a drink and maybe a snack." Emily unbuckled her seatbelt. "I need to stretch my legs out anyway."

"I'll walk over with you. I need to use the restroom." Pam said.

"I should probably go too." Spencer agreed. "Otherwise it'll be a very long two hours."

Emily, Pam and Spencer all got out of the car.

"Do you want anything from the coffee shop, dad?" Emily asked.

"Would you just grab me a bottle of water?"

"Sure thing."

When Emily, Pam and Spencer reached the door to the coffee shop, Emily opened it and waited for her mother and girlfriend to walk in first.

"Do you want anything, mom?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you sweetheart. And don't load up on a bunch of junk." Pam said. "I'm planning on making you a nice dinner when we get home."

"Okay." Emily laughed.

"Spence, you want me to order you something?"

"What do you think I'd order?" Spencer asked playfully.

"Um, well...since it's pretty hot out...I'd guess you go for something iced...probably an iced vanilla latte with skim milk and extra espresso?"

"You know me well." Spencer smiled. "I think I'll keep you around." She patted Emily's cheek.

When they got back to the car, everyone settled back into their seats and Wayne drove off.

Emily reached into the small paper bag in her lap and pulled out a large bear claw.

"That looks really good." Spencer said. "Can I have a bite?"

"Sure." Emily handed the pastry to her girlfriend who took a very large bite out of it before giving it back.

"One bite. That's like half!" Emily whined. "Why didn't you just tell me to get you one too?"

"I didn't need a whole one." Spencer shrugged.

"But you'll eat practically all of mine." Emily grumbled as she playfully glared at her girlfriend.

"And you say I'm the one that gets hangry." Spencer laughed, patting Emily's knee.

* * *

Later that evening.

Pam walked into the living room where Emily, Spencer and Wayne were all sitting watching a baseball game.

"We'll eat in about half an hour." Pam said.

"Would you like any help in the kitchen, Missus Fields?" Spencer asked.

"Actually, that would be wonderful. I could use a hand making the salad. Thank you, sweetheart."

"No problem. I'm happy to help." Spencer stood up and followed Pam into the kitchen.

Pam took some vegetables from the refrigerator and set them on the counter.

"Do you like onions on your salad?" Pam asked.

"Sure." Spencer nodded.

Pam took out a knife for herself as well as one for Spencer.

"So, how's everything going with you and Emily?" Pam asked, chopping up a large head of lettuce.

"Everything's great with us." Spencer said, slicing the tomato in front of her. "Wait...did Emily say something otherwise or..." Spencer panicked, wondering if Pam knew something that she didn't. "Emily is happy, isn't she?"

"Relax, honey." Pam said reassuringly. "Emily's perfectly happy. I was just making conversation."

"Oh. Good. I was worried that maybe she mentioned something to you that she hasn't to me." Spencer breathed a sigh of relief.

"She is good to you, isn't she?" Pam asked. "She treats you well and shows you respect?"

"Of course. Always. Emily's really the biggest sweetheart I know."

"I'm so happy to hear that. You just let me know if she ever slips up. I'll make sure to straighten her out."

"Thanks." Spencer laughed.

"So...there is actually something I want to ask you though..." Pam said. "How has Emily really been doing since she went back to Pennsylvania? I know she had a rough few months while she was here. With seeing Stephanie and Bryce and everything...I've wanted to talk to her, just to make sure she's okay, but I'm afraid she'll get upset. We always seem to end up arguing when we get on that subject...you know what, never mind. I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring up Stephanie and Bryce. I know it's not something you want to think about or should have to..."

"No. It's okay." Spencer said sincerely. "I understand. You just love Emily."

"Even though Emily's an adult, she's still my only baby and I worry about her."

"Of course you do." Spencer smiled.

"She's very stoic and doesn't always like to talk about how she feels when I ask..." Pam took the lettuce and tomatoes she and Spencer just cut and put them into a large bowl. "It's like pulling teeth with her."

"Believe me, I know." Spencer nodded. "Sometimes it drives me crazy, but she'll open up to me if I ask. And she has. She's doing all right. Seeing Bryce and dealing with that whole situation was rough on her, but she's okay. Honestly."

"Good. Thank you so much for looking out for her. When Stephanie left with Bryce, poor Emily went through a terrible depression. She basically went to work and locked herself in her room the rest of the time. She wouldn't talk to anyone. I was so worried about her. I thought she'd never come out of it."

"I can only imagine how she must've felt. She hates admitting it, but I've found that Emily's really a very sensitive person. She's empathetic towards other people's situations and when she talks to you, she actually cares."

"It's true. Emily has always cared a lot about people. That's part of the reason she was such a good mother to Bryce."

Spencer noticed a few tears begin to well up in the corners of Pam's eyes.

"Look at me, getting all emotional here." Pam said, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I should never have brought any of this up."

"No, it's okay." Spencer said, reassuringly. "I know it was a difficult situation for everyone and I'm sure you loved Bryce just as much as Emily did." Spencer gave Pam a warm, friendly smile.

"I did." Pam nodded. "Even if Emily doesn't believe it…anyway…what kind of dressing would you like for the salad?" Pam quickly pulled herself together and changed the subject.

* * *

Later that night.

"Spence, can I come in?" Emily asked, knocking on the door to the guest bedroom where Spencer was staying.

"Sure. Come on in." Spencer called out.

"You're dressed. That's a shame." Emily laughed.

"Your parents are getting ready for bed right next door. You need to behave." Spencer gently pushed Emily's shoulder.

"Well, I really wish you'd misbehave. Know what I mean?" Emily suggestively raised her eyebrows and slowly slid her hands up Spencer's breasts.

"Stop." Spencer laughed, swatting Emily's hands away. "You're gonna get us in trouble."

"Okay, fine. I just wanted to say goodnight." Emily chuckled as she leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

Spencer closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Spencer moaned softy into the kiss when she felt Emily's tongue slip into her mouth. Spencer slowly slid her hands up underneath Emily's shirt, her fingers wandering all over Emily's bare stomach.

It was only a matter of a few moments later that Pam entered the room.

"It's getting a little late." Pam said.

Spencer quickly broke the kiss and slid her hands out of Emily's shirt as she took half a step back from the architect.

"I was just saying good night." Emily ran her hand through her hair.

"I can see that." Pam laughed. "I just wanted to see if Spencer was coming to church with us in the morning."

"Sure. I'll be there." Spencer nodded.

"Great. I just put some fresh towels in the bathroom cabinet. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. I'll see you both in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Missus Fields."

"Night, mom."

Emily and Spencer both watched Pam walked out of the room.

"I should get to bed. Mom's probably waiting outside her bedroom door for me to leave." Emily laughed. "Thanks for helping me find the confidence I needed to give my speech this morning."

"You're welcome. I always knew you could do it." Spencer smiled.

"Goodnight. I love you." Emily leaned down and placed a kiss to Spencer's lips.

"Night. I love you too."

Emily then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Before they knew it, Monday afternoon had crept up on Spencer and the Fields family. They now found themselves outside one of the terminals at the Killeen airport, as Emily and Spencer prepared to board their plane.

"It was so nice having you both here this weekend." Pam said.

"It really was." Wayne agreed. "I can't wait to come up to Pennsylvania next week. I've been looking forward to it since I put in for my vacation time."

"You two take care. Have a good time at prom on Saturday and I told you I want pictures." Pam said as she hugged both Spencer and Emily. "Don't forget."

"You got it." Spencer said.

"Have a safe trip home." Wayne also hugged both Emily and Spencer. "We'll see you soon."

"And please let me know when your plane lands." Pam said.

"I will. I'll text you as soon as I possibly can." Emily said.

Once everyone had said their last goodbyes, Emily and Spencer headed to the door of the terminal. They handed their tickets to the attendant and boarded the plane.

"You know, I'm so glad that this time when I fly home, you're coming with me." Spencer said, taking her seat.

"So am I." Emily agreed as she stuffed the carry on luggage into the overhead bin before sitting down next to her girlfriend. "It feels great to not have to leave each other at the airport for once."

"Really great." Spencer reached over and placed her hand on top of Emily's, lacing their fingers together.

* * *

The next afternoon.

It was around three in the afternoon and Emily was hard at work with her crew, finishing the remodel of Ashley Marin's master bathroom. Emily was standing on a ladder, working on installing some recessed lighting fixtures on the ceiling when she heard her phone ring. Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She looked at the screen and noticed that Spencer was the caller.

"Hey, Spence. What's up?"

"Hey, babe. Have you taken a break yet?"

"No, I skipped lunch today. We're really trying to get into position to finish up this job tomorrow."

"Well...can you take a break and come see me? I have a couple of positions I'd like to get you in." Spencer said huskily.

"Um..." Emily cleared her throat, her knees buckling a little as she climbed down the ladder. "I can take care of that a little later..." A small smirk began to creep across Emily's face.

"I can't wait until later. I need you now. I've been thinking about this all day."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. Every time I close my eyes, all I can picture is you naked, on top of me. I just really, really want you to toss me down on the bed and have your way with me."

"In that case, hang tight. I'll be over in five minutes to take care of that." Emily tried to speak as calmly as possible, though her heart was racing as an overwhelming sensation of arousal surged through her body.

"I'll be waiting. Hurry up."

Emily quickly ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"Guys, I gotta take a quick break. I'll be right back." Emily said.

"Goin' off on a little afternoon booty call, are we?" Mike laughed.

"No way." Emily blushed a little. "Of course not. Spencer just said that they had...um...a…pipe burst in the kitchen and her parents aren't home. She said there's water leaking everywhere, so I said I'd go take a look at it. I'll be right back."

"Sure. Sure." Ben winked, elbowing Emily in the ribs as he noticed the architect's cheeks flushing a darker shade of red. "Get it, Em. We can handle things here."

"You guys are assholes." Emily laughed, rolling her eyes. "I just don't want all the Hastings stuff to get wet and ruined. I have to at least go see what I can do."

Mike laughed again. "Yeah well, I'm guessing the only wet thing over there that needs your attention is her p-"

"Stop." Emily cut him off. "Don't be a pig."

"Just let us know if you need any help with that pipe." Chris said, sarcastically, making air quotes.

"I think I can handle this one on my own." Emily found it impossible to stop the smirk that was now creeping across her face.

"I know you can, bud." Chris laughed, patting Emily on the back. "Enjoy your break."

"I won't be long." Emily said just before disappearing from the room.

She quickly descended down the staircase and practically ran out to her truck. She jumped in the driver's seat, fastened her seat belt and zipped out of the driveway.

As she drove down the street, Emily heard her phone chime. She pulled it out of her pocket and noticed it was a text message from Spencer. She pressed her foot to the brake and began to slow the truck down as she noticed the car in front of her braking as they approached a red light. She glanced down at her phone in her hand and noticed that the message was from Spencer. Emily opened it and found a picture of Spencer in nothing but a purple lace bra and matching pair of tiny lace panties. Her fingers were just underneath the waistband of her panties and under the picture was a message that read: "like what you see?"

Emily's eyes widened and she felt a sudden rush of heat flood to her center. She glanced up and slammed her foot on the brake when she realized that she was approaching the stopped car in front of her very rapidly. Luckily, Emily was able to stop the truck just in time to avoid rear-ending the car in front of her.

"Shit." Emily exhaled loudly, trying to regain her composure.

With her foot firmly on the brake, Emily glanced down at the picture on her phone again.

"God damn it." Emily muttered, as she began typing a reply.

Holy shit. This is so hot. I almost wrecked my fucking truck.

Emily tossed her phone onto the seat and took her foot off of the brake as the light turned green.

When she arrived at the Hastings' house, Emily quickly put her car into park and jumped out. She opened the front door and practically flew up the stairs to Spencer's bedroom. When she stepped into the room, she found her girlfriend sitting on the bed in the bra and panty set she was wearing in the picture. Emily quickly removed her boots and tossed them aside.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked, standing up. "Did you seriously almost wreck your truck?"

"Yeah. I opened that picture and couldn't look away. I almost hit the car in front of me." Emily grasped the bottom of her t shirt and pulled it up over her head.

"You really shouldn't be looking at your phone while you drive." Spencer walked over to her girlfriend and slipped her hands over the architect's shoulders.

"True. I shouldn't drive while horny either, but what am I supposed to do when you call me out of the blue at work and turn me on like that?"

"You're so easy to turn on. It's like flipping a switch with you. Just like that." Spencer snapped her fingers and pressed her lips to Emily's.

Spencer then reached up behind Emily's head and pulled out the band that was holding her hair back in a ponytail.

"I can't help it. You're fucking sexy." Emily growled as she reached down and unbuckled her own belt.

Emily smashed her lips against Spencer's. She roughly slipped her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth. As they kissed, Emily unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. She pushed them down her thighs and let them fall to the floor, pooling around her ankles. Emily stepped out of her pants as she backed Spencer toward the bed.

Barely breaking the kiss, Emily picked Spencer up and laid her down on the bed. Emily climbed on top of her, straddling her waist. The architect began roughly kissing Spencer's neck, every so often sucking and nipping at the sensitive flesh. It was only a few moments later that Emily pulled her own bra off and carelessly tossed it to the floor. Emily quickly reached underneath Spencer's body and unhooked her bra, she slipped it off and immediately discarded it. Emily's lips almost instantly found one of Spencer's nipples. Spencer's head sunk down into the pillow and she grabbed a fistful of Emily's hair in her hand. After a few minutes, Emily removed her mouth from Spencer's nipple; she took the brunette's panties in her hands and swiftly slipped the garment down her legs and off of her body. After feeling Spencer tug at her panties, Emily took a few seconds to remove her own underwear. The architect didn't waste anytime in trailing her hand down Spencer's abdomen toward her center. Emily slipped two of her fingers inside of her girlfriend in one smooth, swift motion and began relentlessly pumping them in and out.

"Em..." Spencer moaned loudly, gripping the bed sheets in her hands as she raised her hips upward to meet Emily's thrusts.

"Is this what you wanted?" Emily said huskily into Spencer ear just before smashing her lips against the brunette's once again.

Emily forced her tongue inside Spencer's mouth and used her thumb to rub quick, tight circles on her girlfriend's most sensitive spot.

"Oh God. Don't stop." Spencer choked out, sliding her hands up the small of Emily's back to her shoulders.

Emily released a low, throaty grunt and began pumping her fingers faster and harder when she felt Spencer's fingernails sink into her skin. Emily could feel herself growing wetter and wetter as Spencer's body tightened around her fingers.

"I'm almost there..." Spencer panted heavily, her heart thumping hard against her ribcage.

Spencer could feel her orgasm slowly creeping up her body. An intense tightening sensation began building deep within the pit of her stomach. Spencer squeezed her eyes closed, allowing her body to be completely overwhelmed by the pleasure of Emily's fingers hurriedly sliding in and out of her body. Knowing that Spencer was close, Emily pressed her thumb to her girlfriend's clit.

"Em!" Spencer released a deep, guttural moan, her orgasm suddenly rushing through her body.

Spencer buried her hands into Emily's hair and held on tightly to the architect. The brunette's muscles stiffened and she clamped her legs together, tightly trapping Emily's hand in between them as she climaxed. Spencer then felt another sudden jolt of pleasure shoot through her body at the added pressure on her clit. Once Spencer was finally able to regain her composure, she slowly opened her eyes and spread her legs so that Emily could slip her fingers out.

"Better?" Emily hovered over Spencer's body; she leaned down and pressed her lips to the brunette's.

* * *

"Spence. That was...wow." Emily said, her head hitting the pillow beneath her as she collapsed flat on her back, shoulder to shoulder with her girlfriend.

"Well, you did come all the way over here for me. I had to give you something."

"That was great." Emily rapidly inhaled and exhaled, attempting to catch her breath. "Fuck."

As soon as Emily's orgasm had subsided, she rolled over and sat up. She reached over the edge of the bed, picked up her bra and underwear and slipped them back on. She then picked up her jeans and stood up.

"Do you really have to go so soon?" Spencer whined, pulling the blanket up to her chest and rolling over onto her side to face Emily.

"I thought all you wanted was a quickie." Emily pulled her jeans up her legs. "That's all we really have time for right now." Emily said sympathetically.

"I know. I just wish we had a little time to cuddle." Spencer propped herself up on one elbow and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Well, I really have to get back to work, but we can do the cuddling part later when I get off."

"You promise?" Spencer stared at her girlfriend, utilizing her best sad puppy face.

"Yeah, of course." Emily knelt on the bed and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend. "As soon as I'm done with work, we can go check out that office space then we can head back to my place, if you want to."

"That'd be great."

"Perfect." Emily got up off of the bed; she zipped and buttoned her jeans, then re-buckled her belt.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours." Emily picked her shirt up from the floor and slipped it back on over her head.

 

 


	92. Chapter 92

Emily walked back into the Marin house and briskly made her way back upstairs to the master bathroom.

"Hey." Ben said. "Things all better over at the house of Hastings?"

"Oh yeah. I took care of everything." Emily nodded, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't conceal the tell-tale smirk that had crept across her face.

"Took ya long enough." Mike joked.

"I never take breaks and I wasn't even gone that long." Emily protested. "Like forty five minutes, if that. Counting drive time."

"Yeah. Besides, we're not all two pump chumps like you, bro." Chris laughed, shoving Mike's shoulder.

"Burn." Emily snorted, picking up her tool belt from the floor.

"Go fuck yourself." Mike laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't need to." Emily said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, yeah. You have a hot as fuck girlfriend who's more than happy to do the job." Mike said, sarcastically. "We know."

"So, how was it anyway?" Chris asked. "You haven't talked much about your sex life since you and Spencer started fucking."

"No, I really haven't talked about it...but it was great, like always." Emily said. "Best sex I've ever had in my life has been with Spencer."

"Bull shit. You said she was a virgin before you guys messed around." Ben said. "I mean, if that's what you need to tell her, we won't say anything."

"She was a virgin. But, that doesn't mean anything. She's still the best, I'm not lying about that."

"Well, I say if she gives good head who the hell cares if she's a virgin or not?" Mike said. "I don't care if my dick's the first or last one she sucks. As long as she's willing to blow me, that's all that matters."

"As crude as he is, he's got a point." Emily agreed. "If Spencer didn't tell me, I never would have guessed she was a virgin and it doesn't matter. She's been incredible from the get go. But, I actually like knowing that I'm the only person she's been with, you know?"

"Because she won't give you one of those pesky below the belt rashes?" Mike laughed.

"No, ass. I've never had an STD." Emily rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I wouldn't have cared if Spencer had slept with a bunch of people, but it's kinda hot knowing I'm the only one who knows her body in the most intimate way."

"I guess I get that." Ben said. "I'm just a little surprised since you've been with tons of more experienced women...I just assumed one of them would have been better at getting you off."

"I wouldn't say I've been with tons of women, but it's not just not about the physical stuff for me anymore. I don't know...it's hard to explain...it just feels different with Spencer. I'm not only thinking about getting off like I was with most of the girls I've slept with." Emily said, tightening her tool belt around her waist. "There's way more substance to it when Spencer and I are having sex...like this whole other emotional connection I've never felt before. Not even in the three years I spent with Stephanie."

"Seriously?" Chris asked.

"Absolutely. Then when I'm done, I'm not thinking about where my underwear landed while awkwardly lying there naked hoping the girl doesn't wanna spend the night. Or if I'm at her place, waiting for her to fall asleep so I can bail, you know?"

"That's the worst." Mike said. "Especially if she wants to talk afterward and you have no idea what to say. Everything's hot and fun until you unload, then the second you pull out, the mood does a complete one eighty and you're laying there thinking about how much easier it would have been if you just stayed home, watched porn and jacked off instead."

"Exactly. But, with Spencer, I don't worry about that at all, I can just lay there with my arms around her and talk to her. No pressure. No awkwardness. I can actually enjoy the post-orgasm part of sex for a change. It's been a while since I've been able to do that."

"Oh man, don't tell me you actually like cuddling and all that cutesy shit." Chris burst out laughing. "That's worse than foreplay."

"Hey, spooning isn't bad." Mike said. "I mean you're close enough to knock on the back door and hopefully you can convince her to let you in. Am I right?" He suggestively raised his eyebrows and elbowed Emily in the ribs.

"God." Emily groaned, rolling her eyes again. "That's obviously not what I'm thinking about. I just like being close to her, that's all. It feels good."

"You're such a girl." Ben chuckled, playfully pushing Emily's shoulder. "I never thought we'd see the day that you went soft."

"Say whatever you want, dude. You can totally rip me apart, but I'm in love with her." Emily shrugged. "I can admit it."

"You know we're just givin' you a hard time, bud." Ben placed his arm around Emily's shoulder. "We're all happy for you."

"Yep and I'm personally not complaining one bit." Chris said. "There's a lot more women out there for us now that Rosewood's favorite lesbian bachelorette is officially out of circulation."

"Yeah really." Mike agreed. "Oh and by the way, Spencer's way hotter than Stephanie will ever be."

"For sure." Emily agreed. "Seriously though guys, we've gotta get back to work. I told Ashley we'd have this all done tomorrow."

* * *

That evening.

Veronica walked into Spencer's bedroom, where her daughter was sitting on the bed, looking over a textbook while taking notes.

"Hi, honey." Veronica said.

"Oh, hi mom." Spencer looked up from her book.

"What are you up to?"

"Just studying a little for our quiz bowl championship."

"Good. I just wanted to see if you'll be home for dinner tonight?"

"I don't think so. Emily and I are going to check out some office space for her in Philly, we'll probably just grab dinner in the city afterward."

"That sounds nice. Where's the office space?"

"It's actually just a couple of blocks from your office."

"Great. I hope it works out for her."

"Me too." Spencer shifted on the bed, moving her textbook so that she could stretch out her legs. "She really needs some space, her apartment's kinda drowning in paperwork, sketches and blueprints."

As Spencer changed her position, one of the pillows behind her body tumbled off of the bed. Veronica bent down to pick up the pillow, when she lifted it up from the floor, she noticed a small black leather billfold style wallet on the floor near the nightstand, just barely underneath the bed. Veronica picked up the wallet and noticed that Emily's driver's license was inside the clear identification compartment on the back of the wallet.

"What's Emily's wallet doing under your bed?" Veronica asked.

"Um...well she came over on her break from work. I just got home from school so I told her I'd make her lunch..."

"Oh. So you made lunch in your bedroom then?" Veronica said sarcastically.

"Well, no...I uh...I had her change a light bulb while she was here. Her wallet must have just slipped out of her pants pocket."

"Hm." Veronica narrowed her eyes skeptically. "That seems a little unlikely, unless of course, her pants weren't on her body at some point...your dad was only planning on working half a day today, but ended up getting stuck at the office all afternoon in a meeting...you're lucky he didn't come home and catch you two. He wouldn't have been very happy with either one of you."

"I already told him Emily and I are having sex, he couldn't be too surprised. And it's not like Em's gonna get me pregnant or anything." Spencer shrugged. "There's nothing for him to worry about."

"Just because you won't get pregnant doesn't mean your father likes the idea of you being sexually active. Believe me, that's the last thing in the world he wants to ever walk in on." Veronica said. "He just found out that you lost your virginity and he took it so much better than I expected he would. He's really improved these last couple of months, but he's still having a hard time letting you grow up."

"I guess..." Spencer nodded.

"He's warming up a lot to Emily. You don't want to throw that away, do you?"

"No. Not at all. I don't want things to go back to the way they used to be."

"Neither do I. So can we please try not to push him to his limits?"

"Sorry." Spencer said, sincerely.

"Here." Veronica handed the wallet to Spencer. "Make sure Emily gets this back. I'm sure she'll be missing it."

"I will. Thanks."

* * *

Later that evening, Emily and Spencer arrived in Philadelphia and met the woman from the real estate company outside in front of the office for rent.

"Hi there, are you Emily?" The realtor asked.

"Yes." Emily nodded, shaking the woman's hand. "And this is my girlfriend, Spencer."

"Nice to meet you both." The woman smiled. "Let's head in. I'll show you around."

"Thank you for making a late appointment with me. I just came from work." Emily said, as she waited for the realtor to unlock the door.

"Oh, not a problem at all. You said you're an architect, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just mainly looking for some space so that I can get all of my work stuff out of my apartment."

"That's understandable. I'm sure I can help you with that. I actually think you're really gonna like this space."

Emily and Spencer followed the woman inside. When they entered the building there was a small lobby area. It was unfurnished except for the built-in counter/reception desk that was attached to one of the walls. There was also a small restroom on the other side of the room.

"So, obviously this is the reception area and right back this way is the actual office itself." The realtor walked through the lobby and opened the door on the left side of the room.

The office was very large, there was a window that looked outside toward the street. There was also another window that looked out into the lobby. Emily assumed that the room seemed bigger because it was unfurnished, but she tried to estimate the size of the room with a desk, a few chairs and her drafting table contained inside it.

"Look, this office even has its own private bathroom." Spencer said, pointing to the attached bathroom.

"It's a nice feature." The realtor said. "And there's plenty of room for furniture without being too cramped. The last tenants had two huge oak desks in here with plenty of space to spare."

"What do you think, Em?" Spencer asked.

"I like it. This is definitely the best space I've come across. Everything else has been tiny. I need something that can fit my drafting table and a desk for my computer and everything."

"And the location is awesome." Spencer said. "There's tons of traffic on this street. And I always see people up and down this sidewalk."

"You don't need to make a decision right this minute." The realtor said. "Why don't you sleep on it and give me a call in a day or so? If you decide you want it, you can come by my office and we can go over some paperwork and sign a lease. Or if you'd prefer to keep looking around, I'd be happy to show you some other places we have available."

"Thanks a lot. I appreciate that." Emily said.

* * *

"So, you think you're gonna take that space?" Spencer asked, glancing over at Emily from the passenger seat of the car.

"You think I should?"

"Totally. I think it's perfect for you. It's not too big or too small. Your business is really growing. You can even hire an assistant so you'd have some extra help organizing stuff and there'd be someone there all the time to answer the phone and everything. Then you wouldn't have to worry about that kind of stuff while you're out working at a job site."

"That's true. I mean, after the military base job, I can definitely afford to hire someone, at least for a few days a week. I guess it couldn't hurt to get some extra help."

"That's what I was thinking. You don't have to do it all yourself. But...you're not allowed to hire a hot girl for an assistant." Spencer laughed.

"Got it." Emily laughed too.

"I can't wait to help you pick out furniture and everything."

"Well, you do have a knack for design. I'm excited to see what you'll pick out...I just can't believe that I'm actually gonna be like legit now."

"Babe. You were always legit." Spencer said. "But, with your own office I think it'll feel more official for you."

"I just didn't think I'd ever get this far. At least not this fast."

"Oh, you never give yourself enough credit. But, you totally deserve all of this."

"Thanks." Emily smiled as she reached across the car's center console and took Spencer's hand in her own.

* * *

Later that evening.

Emily wrapped her arms tightly around Spencer's body as she spooned her.

"This is what I've really been waiting for since this afternoon." Spencer sighed happily, as her body practically melted into Emily's.

"Me too." Emily gently moved Spencer's hair aside and gently placed a kiss to the brunette's neck, just above the collar of her shirt. "So I was wondering...after prom...did you wanna sleep over here? Or did you want me to rent us a hotel room or something? I can get us a suite if you'd rather..."

"No. I'm perfectly fine with coming back here afterward."

"You sure?"

"Of course. I love your place. It's cozy and private. And as long as it's you and I together, that's all I care about."

"Me too." Emily agreed. "We can sleep late and I'll make us breakfast in the morning before I have to go pick my parents up at the airport."

"That would be awesome, but what about church? We can get up early and I'll go with you, if you want."

"It's okay. I'll go Saturday afternoon before I come pick you up for prom…so what color dress are you gonna wear anyway?" Emily placed another gentle kiss to Spencer's neck. "I wanna make sure I get a shirt to match."

"My dress." Spencer's body stiffened and she propped herself up on her elbow. "God, I've been so busy that I totally forgot to get a dress." Spencer panicked. "How could I forget? The dress is the most important thing...I should have gone with Alison, Aria and Hanna when they all picked out their dresses..."

"Babe, calm down." Emily said, rubbing her palm up and down Spencer's back. "You still have plenty of time to get a dress. It's no big deal."

"What if there's nothing good left and I have to wear some tacky, hideous, trashy thing?" Spencer said, rolling over to face Emily.

"That's not gonna happen. But, for the record, you'd look beautiful in anything you wore."

"Thanks, Em."

"It's true, baby. Why don't you see if Hanna wants to go dress shopping with you tomorrow? I'm sure she won't pass up an opportunity to go to the mall." Emily laughed.

"Probably not." Spencer chuckled. "Do you wanna come with us? We could use someone with a lot of muscle to carry all of the stuff Hanna's definitely gonna impulse buy."

"I would, but I can't. I'm gonna be working late so we can get Ashley's bathroom finished up tomorrow."

"Fine." Spencer pouted. "You're all work all the time. I think I might be rubbing off on you."

* * *

Thursday evening.

Emily arrived at the Hastings house to pick Spencer up for a dinner date. She got out of the car, walked up the porch stairs and rang the doorbell. After a few moments, Peter answered the door.

"Hi, Emily. Come on in." Peter said.

"Thanks, Mister Hastings. How are you doing tonight?"

"Pretty well. How about you?"

"Good. Thanks."

"Spencer, Emily's here!" Peter walked over to the staircase and called up to the second floor.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes!" Spencer shouted from her bedroom.

"Why don't you sit down? This could be awhile." Peter said. "I don't think Spencer knows what a few minutes actually is." He laughed.

"Thanks." Emily laughed too as she sat down on the couch.

"So, what are you two doing tonight?"

"We're just going out to dinner. And maybe a movie if we have time. I'll be sure to have Spencer home early though."

"Thank you." Peter sat down on the couch next to Emily. "You're still taking Spencer to the prom on Saturday, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir." Emily nodded. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Good. Can I get you a drink or anything while we're waiting? A beer or soda or something?" Peter asked.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm fine. But, I did wanna ask you something..."

"Sure...what is it?" Peter asked, nervous about what Emily was going to say.

"Well, Spencer's gonna be graduating in a couple of weeks and I wanna give her a graduation gift...and I want to mean something to both of us...so I…"

"What are you asking..." Peter uneasily inhaled a deep breath.

"Well, I wanted to build her a bookcase because I know how much she loves to read and while I was in Texas she asked if I'd build her one when I came home, but I think that she thinks I forgot and I'd really like to surprise her, so I was wondering if I'd be able to work on it in your garage...I want to get her something else too, but I thought I'd start with the bookcase."

"All you want is to borrow the garage?" Peter exhaled an audible sigh of relief.

"Yes, sir. I just don't have the space to do it at my apartment. I mean I'll bring all of my own tools and clean up after myself. It shouldn't take me long..."

"Of course you can use the garage." Peter stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I thought you were about to ask me to marry Spencer." Peter exhaled another heavy breath and loosened his tie.

"Oh no. God no." Emily stood up too. "I mean yes. Someday. Someday I'd absolutely love to marry Spencer. For sure." Emily's sentence all ran together as her nerves began to get the best of her.

"You're welcome to use the garage any time you need to. Just don't ever scare me like that again. Jesus." He shook his head. "I just gave away one daughter. I'm not ready to give away the other yet."

"I totally understand. I know Spencer's not ready for that big of a commitment right now anyway. I'm happy with the way things are now. I'm really sorry for almost giving you a heart attack." Emily laughed a little. "I really didn't mean to."

"It's okay." Peter nodded, patting Emily's shoulder. "I know you didn't."

"What'd I miss?" Spencer asked, coming down the staircase.

Spencer walked into the living room and kissed Emily on the cheek.

"Oh, nothing." Emily said. "I was just talking with your dad."

"He is being nice to you, isn't he?" Spencer mock glared at her father.

"Of course." Emily smiled. "You ready?"

"Whenever you are." Spencer linked her hands around Emily's elbow.

"Before you go anywhere, you need to get yourself a jacket or a sweater." Peter said calmly, a little displeased by Spencer's thin, sleeveless top. "Please."

"I have a blazer." Spencer rolled her eyes as she walked over to one of the stools in the kitchen and picked up her hunter green, tartan plaid jacket.

"Here. Let me." Emily took the blazer from Spencer and held it open for the brunette to slip on.

"Thank you." Spencer said as she slipped her arms through the sleeves before smoothing out the lapels of the jacket.

"Have a good time. I'll see you later." Peter said.

"Goodnight, Mister Hastings." Emily said politely.

"Goodnight."

 

 


	93. Chapter 93

Later that evening when Emily and Spencer arrived back at the Hastings' house, Emily walked Spencer up to the front door as she always did.

"You wanna come in for a while?" Spencer asked.

"You don't think your dad will mind, do you?"

"No. It's still early. I was gonna wait up for Melissa anyway."

"Oh right. I forgot she and Wren were coming back from their honeymoon tonight."

"Yep, they're on the way back from the airport now, so come on. The Phillies are on the west coast this series. I bet they've only played a couple of innings" Spencer took Emily's hand and led her inside.

Emily closed the front door behind them and helped Spencer slip her blazer off. Emily hung the jacket up on the hook next to the door and followed Spencer through the kitchen and into the family room, where they both sat down on the couch.

"So, you did call and rent the limo for Saturday, right?" Spencer asked, turning on the TV to the Phillies game.

"Limo? I thought you were doing that." Emily said, confused.

"What? No. You told me last week, you'd handle it." Spencer said, annoyed. "Now it's gonna be too late-"

"Relax. I'm only kidding." Emily laughed. "I already took care of it."

"You're an ass." Spencer playfully punched Emily in the arm.

"Ouch. That kinda hurt." Emily joked, rubbing her arm.

"Oh stop being a drama queen. Your arms are all muscle. I couldn't hurt you if I tried. So anyway, are you having the limo come to your place?"

"Yeah. I thought it would make the most sense for the guys to meet me at my place, the limo will pick us up there, then we'll head over to your place and pick you and the other girls up."

"Works for me."

"I figured then we can take the limo back to my place afterward and everyone can go their separate way from there. Unless anyone needs a place to stay for the night, but I kinda hope they don't." Emily said, taking a lock of Spencer's hair between her fingers and gently playing with it. "I just wanna be alone with you."

"Me too." Spencer agreed. "I'm pretty sure Noel's parents are gonna be out of town and as far as I know Alison and Hanna were planning on renting hotel rooms for the night."

"Cool." Emily smiled, pressing her lips to Spencer's.

"And I really don't wanna be late, so can you please do us all a favor and make sure the guys are ready on time? I'm putting you in charge."

"Of course. I'll get 'em all to your house, tuxes on, corsages in hand, limo waiting." Emily winked.

"Thanks. I'm counting on you. You're the only mature, responsible one that I can actually trust."

"I'll have everything under control. Don't worry." Emily lifted her arm and placed it around Spencer's shoulder.

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily, happily cuddling up to her girlfriend.

A few moments later, Spencer's phone chimed, she pulled it from her pocket and looked at the screen.

"Anything important?" Emily asked.

"Yeah actually. My grade for my huge final history project just got posted." Spencer said, anxiously tapping her phone to log in to the school's grading website.

"Better hurry and check to make sure you got that one hundred percent." Emily laughed.

"Hey. This grade is really important." Spencer said. "And FYI, I never get just one hundred percent. I always get the extra bonus points."

"Right. I forgot." Emily chuckled, shaking her head.

"Aw crap."

"What's wrong? You didn't get the bonus points?" Emily joked.

"No. My stupid battery just died. Can I borrow your phone for a minute? It'll drive me nuts if I don't check this grade right now and I don't feel like going to get my laptop."

"Sure. No problem." Emily pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to her girlfriend.

"Well...how'd you do?" Emily asked.

"Um...A plus, as usual." Spencer smirked.

"As if anyone is actually surprised. I don't know why you even had to look." Emily laughed. "Have you ever gotten a B in anything?"

"Nope. Always straight A's. For as long as I've been in school." Spencer said, matter-of-factly.

Spencer closed out of the browser window on Emily's phone, but noticed that Emily's collection of bookmarked websites had popped up in a new window. Most were presumably things for work, but Spencer also noticed a few adult websites among the list.

"I see you have a nice porn collection bookmarked on here." Spencer laughed.

Emily's skin immediately flushed a deep shade of red.

"I uh...I..." Emily stuttered. "Those are all from when I was working in Texas...I was away from you for five months...I just...I don't watch it all the time..."

"Relax, Em. You don't have to explain. I couldn't care less if you watch porn." Spencer said, casually. "I'm more interested in what kind of things you're watching...awful lot of BJ stuff here, huh babe?" Spencer teased.

"God." Emily squeezed her eyes closed as she felt her skin grow even warmer.

"To be honest, I thought you'd be more into girl on girl stuff. But, I always assumed most girls usually skipped the BJ parts of straight porn." Spencer laughed.

Emily groaned and used her hand to cover most of her face.

"So now I'm curious...I have a question." Spencer pulled Emily's hand away from her face.

"What is it?" Emily sighed, certain that her level of humiliation was already at its maximum.

"When we were at the sex shop looking for a strap on and Hanna asked if you ever had a blow job, you said no...were you being serious or were you just embarrassed and didn't wanna admit it to her?"

"I was being honest. I've never had one."

"Have you ever wanted one?"

"Well, I..." Emily hesitated.

"I'll take that as a yes." Spencer chuckled. "You've really never had one? Not even with Stephanie?"

"Nope. I mean, I brought it up a couple of times with her, but she always just kinda shrugged it off. She was a little uptight and didn't seem into it at all, so I didn't push it."

"Have you ever thought about me doing that for you?" Spencer asked, curiously.

"Well...honestly, yeah. Of course I've thought about it." Emily placed her hands between her knees and stared down at her shoes. "I think it'd be really hot. I'd never want it to be real or anything like that...I'm just kinda curious what it's like. That's all."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know...we just started using a strap on together and I didn't think you'd be into it anyway. All the straight girls I know complain about giving blow jobs. And I'm sure most lesbians are glad that they don't like guys so they don't have to give them...I know I personally am, so I'd never ask you to do that..."

"Em, if this is something you want, you got it." Spencer said, confidently.

"Wait...are you being serious?" Emily glanced over at Spencer, her eyes meeting the brunette's.

"Absolutely." Spencer smiled. "If you want it, just get on your knees and say 'Spencer, would you please blow me?'" She teased. "You have to ask nicely."

Emily laughed a little. "You really want me to say that?"

"I'm just kidding, I'd never make you beg. Of course I'll give you a blow job." Spencer leaned over and pressed her lips to Emily's. "And I promise you, it'll be way better than any of this porn you've been watching. So you better prepare yourself."

Spencer laughed and tossed Emily's phone over into the architect's lap.

* * *

The next morning at school, Spencer noticed Hanna walking down the hall. Spencer quickly walked up to Hanna and grabbed her by the arm.

"I've been looking all over for you." Spencer said. "I need your help."

"What's up?" Hanna asked, confused.

Spencer looked behind her to make sure there was no one around.

"I have kind of a weird favor to ask you and I don't know how to say it so I'm just gonna come out with it...I need you to teach me how to give a good blow job." Spencer said quietly. "Em wants one, but I'm not really sure how to go about it."

"She asked you for a BJ?"

"Not exactly. We got on the subject and I found out that she's been thinking about it, but she's been too shy to ask me."

"Why? You guys are usually pretty open with each other."

"I know, but she was afraid I wouldn't be into it. Probably because she said she'd asked her ex fiancée a couple of times, but she wouldn't do it."

"What a bitch. Emily would probably have given her anything in the world and the girl couldn't even manage one lousy blow job?"

"I guess not. But, I'm actually glad. This is something Emily's never done. I can finally give her something no other girl has, you know?"

"I totally get it and don't worry, I'll tell you how to drive Em completely crazy."

"Obviously, I get the basics, I'm just not sure how to do it without feeling awkward and dumb...since Emily's not really gonna be able to feel too much of it."

"First off, you gotta stop over-thinking it. You have to act like its real. That's what's gonna turn Emily on. As long as you put on a great show, it's not gonna matter whether she can feel it or not."

"I guess you're right." Spencer agreed.

"So go ahead and use your hands, mouth and tongue. Trust me, visuals are important. Guys get off just as much on the visual as they do the physical, so don't worry that Emily can't feel it, she'll still love it."

Spencer nodded. "I hope she does."

"She will. And it'll be good for you too, you'll get to help her play out one of her fantasies for as long as you want and never have to worry about that awkward moment when you have to decide whether to spit or swallow or just stop altogether. Giving a blow job isn't that bad though, it's just annoying when they don't tell you when they're gonna come, so you don't really have much of a choice. I hate that."

"I don't blame you. That's not really a nice surprise."

"Nope. And it's fucking rude." Hanna said matter-of-factly.

"But, anyway, you don't have to worry about that…so another thing, make sure you look up at her while you're blowing her. The eye contact will get her going for sure."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely. Now, how's your gag reflex?"

"It's not too bad, I think anyway. I'm just nervous, I've never tested it in this context before. What if I accidentally choke?"

"If you do, you do." Hanna shrugged. "Sometimes it happens. If you need to ask Em to back off for a minute, go ahead. I don't think she'll be offended or anything. Besides, it's not like you have to deep throat it the first time out. I mean if you can, go for it, but she's not gonna expect that."

"Yeah...that's true." Spencer agreed.

"You gonna go over to her place and surprise her tonight?"

"No. I thought maybe after prom, I would."

"Oh, that's even better." Hanna said excitedly. "When you guys get back to her place for the night, just put on something sexy and go for it. I think blowing her would be amazing foreplay. And things will be way better for you when she's extra turned on. If you want, you can come over to my place after school, I have a couple magazines with some pretty good tips."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"No problem. If you wanna practice a little we can do that too. I'll supply the bananas." Hanna laughed, throwing her arm around Spencer's shoulder.

"I don't know about that." Spencer laughed. "But thanks."

* * *

It was early on Saturday evening that Emily found herself standing in her bedroom, ironing perfectly crisp creases into her best-fitting pair of black dress pants. When she heard her phone ping, she picked the device up off of the nightstand and opened the text message she had just received from Spencer.

Hey. How's everything going? Did the guys show up yet?

Everything's fine. I'm just ironing my suit. The guys should be here any minute.

Okay well don't forget you need to meet us here in half an hour. Make sure you guys are on time.

Don't worry, baby. I've got it under control. See you soon.

Emily tossed her phone on to the bed and went back to finish ironing her clothing. When she was done, Emily slipped her pants on and took her shirt from the hanger on the back of the door. Emily buttoned up the dark purple shirt and tucked it into her pants. After putting her shoes on, she walked over to the mirror on her dresser and ran her fingers through her hair. It was only a matter of a few minutes later that she heard a knock on the door. When Emily opened the door, she found Noel, Caleb and Alison's date, whom she recognized as the same guy Alison had attended Melissa's wedding with.

"Dude, where's your jacket?" Emily asked as Noel walked in realizing that he had on a red shirt and matching bow tie, but no jacket.

"I left it in the car."

"What about you?" Emily turned to Caleb, who was wearing a white tuxedo with a baby blue shirt, but no tie. "Where's your tie? Hanna will kill you if you show up without a tie. And then Spencer will kill me."

"I have it." Caleb pulled the bow tie from his pocket. "I just don't have a clue how to tie it. Can you do it?" He turned to Noel.

"Sorry bro, my dad tied mine." Noel replied.

Caleb then turned to Alison's date, tie in hand.

"Don't look at me. My dad did mine too." He said.

"I can do it. Give it here." Emily took the tie from Caleb's hand and slung it around the back of his neck.

Emily knotted the tie around Caleb's neck, she pulled the ends of the tie, evening out both sides of the bow.

"There. Perfect." Emily said.

"Thanks Emily."

"No problem. Now what about you?" Emily turned to Alison's date. "It's Adam, right? We met at Melissa's wedding."

"Yep." He nodded. "We did."

Emily looked him over from head to toe. He wore a black tuxedo, with a ruffled green shirt and matching green bow tie.

"Shoes are shined, jacket on, tie's in place. You look fine. Good job." Emily said.

"Thanks, but I think the shop gave me the wrong size pants." Adam said. "There's like zero ball room in these." He reached down and adjusted himself.

"Sorry, I can't help you there." Emily said. "You're just gonna have to deal with it."

"At least your pants don't keep falling down." Caleb complained. "I'd rather have my balls squished in than have to pull my pants up every two minutes."

"Didn't they give you suspenders with your rental?" Emily asked.

"No." Caleb shrugged. "I never saw any."

"I actually have some. I'll get you a pair."

Emily walked into her bedroom and took a pair of suspenders from the back of her closet. She walked over to her nightstand and opened the drawer, Emily took out a handful of condoms, closed the drawer, grabbed her jacket and headed back out into the living room.

"Here. Put these on." Emily tossed the suspenders at Caleb.

"Thanks."

"Do you guys have protection? For later." Emily asked.

"Shit. I knew I forgot something." Noel groaned. "Maybe Aria has some or else I'll just have to pull out."

"Yeah, because that's a great fool-proof method." Emily shook her head.

"Well, I think she's on the pill."

"I hope so, but here. Don't take any chances." Emily handed Noel a couple of condoms. "And just to be safe, here's some for you guys too." She handed the rest of the condoms to Caleb and Adam. "No one's getting pregnant if I can help it."

"These won't fit me." Noel said. "I need the extra large ones."

"Oh please, you don't need extra large." Emily rolled her eyes. "The regular ones are plenty big enough."

"She's not wrong, dude." Caleb laughed. "Your ego's way bigger than your dick."

"Fuck off. Who asked you?" Noel glared at Caleb as he stuffed the condoms into his pocket.

"All right. I think we're just about ready." Emily slipped her jacket on and buttoned it.

"Relax. We have time. The limo isn't even here yet. Aren't we gonna pre game a little first?" Noel asked. "You have beer, don't you?"

"I do. But, we're not drinking it." Emily said. "If you want something to drink, I have soda, Gatorade and water in the fridge."

"Aw. Come on. This isn't gonna last all night." Noel said, pulling a small flask from his pocket.

"Give me that." Emily took the flask and opened it before taking it to the sink and pouring it down the drain. "Moron." She muttered under her breath.

"Hey! That was good vodka you just wasted." Noel complained.

"I don't care. No one's drinking. All of our girlfriends are expecting to have a good time tonight and that's never gonna happen if everyone's all buzzed and we get kicked out."

"So lame." Noel rolled his eyes.

Emily walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out four small clear plastic boxes containing wrist corsage arrangements.

"I picked these up from the florist this morning. Here's one for Hanna, one for Aria, for Alison..." Emily said handing each of the guys the box containing the correct corresponding colored flowers for their date. "And this one's for Spencer." Emily left the last box on the countertop.

"I got matching boutonnières for all of us too."

Emily pinned a blue rose boutonnière to the lapel of Caleb's jacket and a green one to Adam's jacket. "Here, take this." Emily handed Noel the red rose boutonnière. "We can put that on in the car." Emily then took the last remaining purple rose boutonnière and pinned it to her own lapel. 

It was only a few minutes later that everyone heard a car horn sound. Caleb walked over to the window and looked outside.

"The limo's here."

"Good. I think we're ready. Let's go. Make sure you grab your jacket." Emily said, shoving Noel's shoulder.

"Okay, okay. Chill out."

* * *

Spencer sat on her bed with Alison, while they waited for Hanna to finish doing Aria's hair.

"I really love that dress on you Spence." Hanna said.

"Thanks." Spencer looked down at her strapless, dark purple and black sequined dress. "I'm lucky I found it at the last minute. I still can't believe I actually forgot to get a dress."

"Well, you've been really busy lately." Aria said.

"Is Emily on her way with the guys yet?" Alison asked, slipping her shoes on. "We gotta get there early, I have to get pictures taken for prom queen"

"Um, everyone still has to vote. You're not guaranteed to win, you know." Spencer said.

"It's hardly gonna be a contest." Alison said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"What ever you say, Alison." Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'll text Emily though and see where they are." She reached over to her nightstand for her phone.

After a couple of minutes, Spencer received a photo from Emily. The photo was a selfie of Adam, Caleb, Emily and Noel all posing for the picture in the back of the limo. Spencer also received a text message from Emily that read: On the way. See you in a few. :)

Spencer laughed out loud. "They're on the way. They sent a picture."

Spencer turned her phone to Alison.

"I actually have to hand it to Emily. They're all dressed and en route on time." Alison said. "I thought they'd be screwing around. Doing something stupid, right about now."

"I told you Em would take care if it."

"Hey Spence, can you grab me my heels, please?" Hanna asked.

"Sure." Spencer got up and took Hanna's shoes from the garment bag hanging on the back of the door.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the bedroom door followed by Melissa entering the room.

"Are you about ready?" Melissa asked. "Mom wants to take some pictures before you leave."

"We'll be right down." Spencer said.

* * *

When they arrived at the Hastings house, Caleb, Emily, Noel and Adam all filed out of the limo and walked up the stairs of the Hastings' front porch. Emily rang the doorbell and after a few moments Veronica answered.

"Hi, Missus Hastings." Emily said.

"You all look adorable. Come on in." Veronica smiled. "The girls are just finishing getting ready."

Emily was the first to walk into the house. Upon walking into the living room, she looked up at the staircase where she noticed Spencer walking down the stairs, followed by her friends. Spencer's dress hugged her curves in all of the right places, which certainly didn't go unnoticed by Emily. Emily glanced upward, making eye contact with her girlfriend. When Spencer reached the bottom of the staircase, she approached Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect.

"We match perfectly." Spencer smiled. "You did such a great job. And you look so cute."

"Forget about me, you look absolutely gorgeous." Emily said as she leaned down and placed a kiss to Spencer cheek. "I'm gonna be the luckiest girl at the whole dance."

"Come on. I want to get a few pictures before you all go." Veronica said, shuffling all of Spencer's friends together, near the fireplace.

"Oh here...I almost forgot, this is for you." Emily held out the box containing Spencer's corsage. "Let me put it on."

Spencer held out her hand and waited for Emily to slip the flower arrangement onto her wrist.

"Perfect." Emily said.

"Thank you." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest and kissed her.

Emily quickly broke the kiss when she noticed Peter entering the room from over Spencer's shoulder.

"Spence, you look beautiful." Peter said.

"Thanks dad." Spencer smiled.

"Hi Emily." Peter said. "You look good, buddy. Very nice suit." He patted the architect on the back of her shoulder.

"Thank you." Emily said sincerely.

"You two better go get in the picture." Peter said.

Spencer took Emily by the hand and pulled her over to the fireplace where her friends were already posed and ready. Emily positioned herself behind Spencer and slipped her hands around brunette's waist, paying careful attention to the placement of her hands, as Mr. Hastings was standing just a few feet away and she worried about upsetting him. Spencer then placed her hands on top of Emily's. Veronica proceeded to take a few photos of the group and of each individual couple as well.

"I'd say they're probably going to be the best looking group at the whole prom." Peter said.

"Without a doubt." Veronica agreed. "Have fun tonight. Be safe."

"We will, mom. Bye." Spencer said as she took Emily's hand and followed her friends out the door.

 

 


	94. Chapter 94

That evening, Emily found herself standing near a small refreshment table with Adam, Caleb and Noel waiting for their girlfriends to return from the restroom.

"Why do girls always have to go to the bathroom in groups?" Adam looked over at Emily. "I don't get it."

"I don't know?" Emily shrugged. "I always go by myself. They're probably just touching up their make up or something."

"So Emily, I wanted to ask." Noel said. "Was that your bike parked next to your work truck at your apartment?"

"Yep. Sure is."

"Nice."

"Have you ever ridden before?" Emily asked.

"Nah. I've been thinking about getting my license though. My dad said he'd talk to my mom about getting me a bike if I want."

"You should get one. They're a lot of fun."

"What kind do you have?" Caleb asked.

"It's a Kawasaki Ninja. I test drove a couple of different brands and styles, but the Ninja's were definitely my favorite."

"Oh yeah. Sport bikes are awesome." Adam said. "My cousin has a Ninja and he's let me ride it a few times, not like on the highway or anything, but it was still pretty awesome."

"Is it hard to get a motorcycle license?" Caleb asked.

"Not really. Just a written test and a short road test." Emily said. "No big deal. I took the safety classes too though. Those were way more in depth."

"I told my mom a million times that I'd take the safety classes." Noel said. "But, she's so worried that I'll wreck and probably die."

"It's a mom thing. Mine was the same way." Emily said. "I've been riding for about five years now and she still hates it. Most of the time I was only riding it a couple of miles back and forth from my apartment to campus." Emily turned around and took a cup of punch from the table behind her. "It was cheap transportation."

"Cheap transportation is good. But, what about the biggest perk of owning a sweet-ass sport bike..." Adam said.

"And that would be?" Emily asked, raising the cup to her lips.

"The girls. Bikes are total chick magnets." Adam said.

Emily just rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on. You know he's right." Noel said.

"Yeah. So how many times has that Ninja gotten you laid?" Adam laughed. "And don't lie."

"I can't say it's ever specifically been the reason for me getting laid, but it's definitely never hurt my chances." Emily chuckled.

"See." Adam laughed. "Girls love bikes and even more they love a guy or girl who rides one."

"Is Spencer into it?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "She was a little nervous to ride with me at first, but once she actually did it, she was fine."

A few minutes later, Alison, Aria, Hanna and Spencer returned.

"Hey, did you guys go vote for prom queen like I told you to?" Alison asked.

"We will. We're making our way over there." Adam said.

"Okay. Well, hurry up."

"I think they're gonna play a slow song next, will you dance with me?" Spencer asked, looking up at Emily.

"Sure." Emily smiled, taking Spencer's hand in her own.

When Spencer turned around toward the dance floor, she noticed a familiar face walking across the room toward them.

"Toby?" Spencer said aloud as she caught his eye.

"Hey Spence." Toby said, pulling Spencer into a hug. "I thought I saw you."

"What are you doing here?" Spencer said, hugging him back. "I thought you got a job working construction near Pittsburgh?"

"I did. But, a friend invited me to be her date, so I agreed. I thought it'd be a good excuse to come home for the weekend."

"Is this the first time you've been home since you moved?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah." Toby nodded. "I've been pretty busy...I've been thinking about moving back to Eastern Pennsylvania though."

"Back to Rosewood?"

"Not exactly. There's a job opening to work with a crew building vacation cabins at this new resort in the Poconos. I've been thinking about taking it."

"The Pocono mountains are so beautiful. I'm sure it'd be awesome to work up there."

"That's what I was thinking. Oh and speaking of beautiful, you look great, by the way."

"Thanks. So do you. I'm not used to seeing you dressed up. You look really handsome in that tux."

"Thanks." Toby smiled.

Emily loudly cleared her throat to remind Spencer of her presence.

"Oh Toby, I want you to meet Emily, my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Toby said, surprised. "Have I really been away that long?" He laughed. "I guess now I know why you dumped me."

"Em, this is Toby." Spencer laughed too. "My friend...and ex boyfriend."

"Emily Fields." Emily said, flatly. "Nice to meet you." Emily forced herself to say something nice, though her tone was less than convincing.

"You too." Toby said.

"Emily's an architect." Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily's elbow.

Emily possessively slipped her arm around the small of Spencer's back and pulled her closer.

"Fields..." Toby said. "I've heard of you. You've designed a lot of stuff in Philly, right?"

"Yeah. I've worked on a few commercial projects there."

"Emily just redid our whole kitchen and built a big addition onto the house too. It turned out even better than I thought it would."

"Cool." Toby said. "What architectural firm are you working for?"

"I'm self employed." Emily stared Toby in the eyes. "I've been running my own business since I got out of college."

"Wow. That's awesome. So...would you mind if I borrowed Spencer for a dance?"

"I uh...I guess not." Emily said, trying to keep her jealousy in check so as to not upset her girlfriend.

"We'll be right back." Spencer let go of Emily and took Toby's hand as she followed him onto the dance floor.

"So…how long have you and Emily been dating?" Toby asked.

"Awhile. Around eight months."

"Have you dated other girls or…"

"No. She's the first."

"You didn't start dating girls because of something I did, did you?"

"Of course not." Spencer laughed. "It doesn't work like that. I was always questioning, I guess I just wasn't ready to admit it until I met Emily. She helped me get past all of that."

"I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Are you seeing anyone?"

"Not really. I work a lot so I haven't had time to go out on too many dates lately."

Emily stared across the room at Spencer and Toby, her eyes never moving away from them for so much as a second.

"Should I be concerned about him?" Emily asked, watching Toby hands around Spencer's waist.

"You don't seem like the jealous type, dude." Adam said.

"I'm not, usually. Not much anyway. But, you saw how excited she was to see him...what if he does take that Poconos job? That's only a couple of hours from here..."

"I think you're pretty safe, bro." Noel said. "They dated for like six months and she never even gave him so much as a hand job." He laughed. "And I'm one hundred percent positive that Spencer's not gonna start magically liking cock anytime soon."

"Noel." Aria scolded, lightly hitting her boyfriend in the stomach with the back of her hand. "Shut up."

"What? I'm just saying, no girl could possibly be that into a guy who she'll barely round first base with."

"I agree." Caleb said. "I bet Emily got more action from Spencer in a week than Toby did the whole relationship."

"You shut up too." Hanna glared at Caleb. "You guys are being rude."

"Well, they're really not wrong." Alison said. "She never seemed all that into Toby."

"We're not slamming Toby or anything." Caleb said. "He's a cool guy. He's just not what Spencer wanted is the point. And Emily's our friend. We're just letting her know whether or not she has an ass to kick." He laughed.

"Yeah well, you can do that without acting like pigs, you know." Aria said.

"Come on, let's go dance." Hanna took Caleb's hand.

"But, we were just out there like fifteen minutes ago." Caleb whined. "I'm hungry and they have huge soft pretzels over there. I was gonna go get one."

"Well it's just prom, excuse me for wanting to dance." Hanna rolled her eyes. "Em, do you wanna dance with me?" Hanna turned to Emily. "Since Spencer's already busy?"

"Um, sure. I'd love to." Emily smiled. "Do you mind?" She turned up Caleb.

"Go for it."

"Great. Let's go." Hanna took Emily's hand in her own and mock glared at Caleb. "You better bring me back one of those pretzels."

"You got it." Caleb laughed.

Once they got onto the dance floor, Hanna placed her hands on Emily's shoulders as Emily placed her hands on the blonde's waist. As they slowly swayed back and forth, Hanna looked up and noticed that Emily's gaze was still intensely focused on Spencer and Toby across the room.

"Em. Stop staring him down." Hanna said, taking the lead and guiding Emily to face away from Spencer and Toby. "He's definitely not a threat."

"I know I shouldn't feel jealous. I just can't help it."

"Let me ask you a question." Hanna said.

"Anything." Emily nodded, looking down into the blonde's eyes.

"Who did Spencer invite to come to prom with her you or Toby?"

"I get where you're going, but..."

"Come on, just play along with me for a minute." Hanna urged.

"Okay. Me. She invited me." Emily shrugged.

"Right. Who do you think she got all dressed up for?"

"Me." Emily replied.

"And who is she gonna go home with at the end of the night?"

"Me." Emily smiled slightly.

"Exactly. Spencer loves you. She never stops talking about you. She loves telling anyone who will listen about her gorgeous, talented architect."

"She does?" Emily grinned.

"All the time. I've known Spencer since we were little kids and she's never once been this crazy over someone before. Not Toby. Not anyone. So stop being so uptight. You don't have to worry. She and Toby are only friends."

Emily didn't speak, but only nodded.

"Besides, you might actually like Toby. He's a lot like you. He's great at carpentry. You could have another playmate who knows all about hammers and saws and screwdrivers. All that stuff you like." Hanna laughed.

Emily couldn't help but laugh too.

"Thanks, Hanna."

* * *

Later that night, Emily and Spencer stood together watching Alison along side Andrew Campbell accept their wins of Prom King and Queen.

"Thank God Alison won." Spencer said. "I don't think I could have stood to listen to her complain."

"She seems like the type who would probably get bent out of shape over something like that." Emily laughed.

"I'm glad Andrew won too. He was the only non-douchey guy running."

"Is he a friend of yours?" Emily asked as she watched Alison and Andrew begin their obligatory King and Queen dance.

"Yeah. His family are good friends of my family. We've known each other since pre-school. Did you vote for him?"

"No. I voted for Noel."

"Seriously? Are you guys like BFFS now?" Spencer cocked her eyebrow.

"He was the only name I recognized on the ballot. And I wouldn't say we're BFFS exactly. But, we're cool. I don't know why you let him bug you so much."

"He can just be such a tool sometimes."

"Of course he can. He's an eighteen year old guy." Emily joked. "He only teases you because he knows he can get you annoyed."

"Yeah, maybe."

"So...you wanna dance?" Emily extended her hand to her girlfriend as many other couples began to join Alison and Andrew on the dance floor.

"Of course I do." Spencer happily took Emily's hand and followed her out onto the floor.

Emily slipped her hands around Spencer's waist while Spencer draped her own hands over Emily's shoulders.

"Thanks for inviting me tonight." Emily said. "I'm having a really good time."

"So am I. Thanks for coming."

"You know, I think you should've run for prom queen though. You probably would have won by a landslide."

"That's sweet, but that's not really my thing." Spencer said, slowly swaying back and forth with Emily. "It's all just a dumb, over-hyped popularity contest. It's not like it really counts for anything."

"Maybe not, but you're still always gonna be my queen." Emily smiled, locking eyes with Spencer. "That counts for something, right?"

"That counts for everything." Spencer smiled, feeling her heart flutter in her chest.

Emily pulled Spencer closer and leaned her forehead against her girlfriend's.

"I love you." Emily said, just before capturing the brunette's lips in a chaste kiss.

Once the kiss was broken, Spencer rested her head on Emily's chest as they slowly continued to move back and forth to the music throughout the remainder of the song.

* * *

When they arrived back at Emily's apartment, Emily fumbled around in her pocket for her keys, with Spencer clinging tightly to her side.

"I'm so glad we decided to leave early." Spencer said, pressing her lips to Emily's. "I mean, prom was fun, but I'm so ready for the private after prom."

"Me too." Emily mumbled into the kiss.

Spencer slipped her tongue into Emily's mouth and shoved her hand into the architect's pocket, quickly pulling out Emily's keys.

Emily took the keys and broke the kiss to unlock the door.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom. Why don't you head into bedroom and I'll meet you in just a minute." Spencer said, placing a kiss to Emily's lips.

"Sure. Sounds good." Emily nodded.

Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's neck and gave her another kiss, though this time it was longer and very passionate.

Emily almost immediately slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth, finding herself quickly becoming very aroused.

"Don't start without me." Spencer broke the kiss and whispered huskily into Emily's ear.

"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises." Emily smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Spencer placed one more kiss to Emily's lips before heading off to the bathroom with her overnight bag in hand.

Emily exhaled a heavy breath. She walked over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. She opened the bottle and took one long, slow drink, attempting to alleviate the dryness in her throat. Emily ran her fingers through her hair and set her bottle of water back down on the counter. She then headed into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, she leaned down, untied her shoes and removed them, along with her socks. Emily stood up and walked over to her dresser, where she removed her watch. It was just a few seconds later that Emily heard Spencer enter the room. She turned around and noticed Spencer standing in the doorway wearing a purple and black lace baby doll with matching panties.

"You look amazing." Emily smiled, walking over to her girlfriend.

Emily leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's.

"Do you remember the last time I wore this for you?" Spencer asked when the kiss was broken.

"Of course I do. It was the night I came home from Texas." Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips. "You looked so beautiful that night, but I think you might look even more beautiful right now."

Spencer smiled and wrapped her arms around Emily's neck.

"I've been waiting for you to wear this again." Emily said.

"I'm glad you like it." Spencer slid her hands down Emily's chest and to the button on her jacket. "You should have said something. I would have worn it again way before now."

"From now on, just know that you're hot in lingerie and I'll take seeing you in it any possible chance I can get. I'll even buy you some if you want."

Spencer smiled as she undid the button and slipped Emily's jacket off of her shoulders. Spencer then began undoing the buttons on Emily's shirt, taking her time and placing a kiss to Emily's lips after opening each individual button. When Spencer reached the last button, Emily's shirt fell open and Spencer slowly slid her hands up the architect's bare abdomen and chest.

Emily's eyes followed Spencer's hands when they moved back downward toward her pants. Once Spencer reached Emily's belt buckle, she roughly tugged the buckle open, releasing the prong from its hole. She then took the buckle in her hand and yanked the belt through each of the loops on Emily's pants in one quick, smooth motion before carelessly tossing the belt away. Emily took in a sharp breath watching intently as Spencer undid the button and zipper on her pants and roughly tugged them downward.

"I have a surprise for you." Spencer's hands wandered back up Emily's abdomen, up her chest and over her shoulders.

"Oh yeah?" Emily stared down into Spencer's eyes. "Is it better than the lingerie?"

"I think so." Spencer nodded. "I thought tonight I'd give you your first blow job." Spencer buried one of her hands into Emily's hair and pressed her lips to the architect's.

Emily felt a sudden, intense pang of arousal race straight to her core.

"Wait...like for real?" Emily asked, a slightly disbelieving tone in her voice.

"Mm hm." Spencer nodded. "I told you I'd give you one. You're still into it, aren't you?"

"Uh yeah. Absolutely." Emily said excitedly. "But...you don't have to, if you don't want to...if you're really not cool with it...I understand."

"I'm fine with it." Spencer gently ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "I wanna do this for you."

"As long as you're sure."

"I am. So you better hurry up and get ready."

"Good idea." Emily nodded and stepped out of her pants. She quickly walked over to the nightstand and took out the strap on. She didn't waste any time in slipping her underwear off and stepping into the harness.

Emily quickly pulled the harness up her legs and tightened the straps over her hips until the harness fit as snugly against her body as it possibly could.

"Here tiger." Spencer said, tossing a brand new box of flavored condoms at her girlfriend. "Pick out what ever flavor you want."

Emily caught the box against her chest and looked at it. "Shouldn't the flavor be a preference thing for you?"

"Yeah. But, I'm fully expecting you to kiss me afterward, so I want you to like the flavor."

"Well...in that case, how about cherry?"

"Are you saying cherry because that's really what you want or because you know that's what I'd pick?"

"Both." Emily opened the box and pulled out a cherry flavored condom encased a red wrapper.

Emily quickly tossed the box away as Spencer kissed her. Emily closed her eyes, opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue along Spencer's bottom lip. As they kissed, Spencer reached down and took the condom from Emily's hand. Just as Spencer was about to tear open the package, they were interrupted by a loud knock at the door.

"Did you hear that?" Spencer asked, breaking the kiss.

"Forget it." Emily said, pressing her lips to Spencer's again. "They'll go away."

"Em, it might be important." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest, breaking the kiss for the second time. "You should see who it is."

"Fine." Emily sighed and bent down to pick up her pants. "Don't move a muscle. I'll be right back." Emily pulled her pants up her legs. She tucked the toy off to one side, ensuring it wouldn't be noticeable and zipped up her pants before heading off to answer the door.

When Emily opened the door, she found Noel standing in the doorway, much to her annoyance.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing here?" Emily stared at Noel.

"I can't find my keys. I think I might have dropped them here earlier."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Emily shook her head. "Spencer's in my bedroom right now, waiting for me in some seriously sexy lingerie and you're-"

"You really think I'd rather be standing here right now talking to you than with Aria at my place?" Noel said sarcastically. "She's waiting for me in the limo. And the sooner you shut up and help me find my keys the sooner we can both get laid."

"Good point. Where do you remember having them last?" Emily bent down and looked under the coffee table.

"I obviously had them when I got here..." Noel began searching in the couch cushions.

Emily looked in the kitchen, but returned to the living room after finding nothing.

"I don't get why you didn't just take the limo back to your place." Emily groaned.

"My house keys are on that key ring. I wouldn't be able to get inside without them."

Emily dropped to her knees and reached underneath the couch.

"Em? Is everything okay, babe?" Spencer called out from the bedroom.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. I'll be back in a minute." Emily replied.

Emily swept her hand under the opposite side of the couch and was more than relieved when she felt her fingers come in contact with a small metal object. She grabbed the keys and pulled them out from under the couch.

"Here." Emily stood up and tossed the keys at Noel.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. No problem. Now do us both a favor and get out." Emily said, only half joking.

"You got it, bro." Noel said walking toward the door.

"Just drive carefully, okay?" Emily said.

"I will. Later." Noel slipped outside.

"See ya." Emily locked the door behind Noel and all but dashed back to the bedroom.

"Who was at the door?" Spencer asked.

"Noel. He lost his keys." Emily slipped her shirt off of her shoulders and tossed it away.

"Idiot." Spencer rolled her eyes.

Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer's waist and kissed her. As they kissed, Spencer reached down and ran her hand over the front of Emily's pants before gently cupping the toy through the material. Spencer broke the kiss and stared into Emily's eyes as she ran her hand between Emily's legs, slowly stroking the architect through her pants.

"So, maybe you can remind me of where we left off, exactly?" Emily said, scrambling to undo button on her pants.

"No." Spencer reached down and grabbed Emily's hands. "You're on my time now."

"O...okay." Emily smirked, aroused by Spencer's sudden aggressiveness.

Spencer slid her hands around to Emily's backside and gave it a firm squeeze. Spencer eventually moved her hands back to the front of Emily's pants and popped open the button before slowly pulling the zipper down. Spencer then pushed Emily's pants down her hips, causing the toy to spring free.

"But, I think we were right about here." Spencer tore open the condom packet in her hand, reached down and rolled it onto the toy.

Spencer leaned in and placed a kiss to Emily's cheek, she then trailed a slow line of kisses down Emily's jaw, neck and chest. Spencer slid her hands up over the architect's still bra-covered breasts, causing her nipples to immediately harden.

"Should I go lower?" Spencer asked, seductively.

"Yeah." Emily nodded, her arousal constantly increasing as she anticipated her first blow job.

"Okay." Spencer smiled, her eyes meeting Emily's.

As Emily looked at her girlfriend, she noticed a slightly unsettled expression cross Spencer's face.

"Spencer, I promise I'd never be disrespectful to you or anything..." Emily took Spencer's hands in her own. "That's not why I want this."

"I know." Spencer nodded.

"If you wanna change your mind, it's okay." Emily said sincerely. "You don't have to-"

"I haven't changed my mind." Spencer whispered into Emily's ear and slipped her hand into the architect's hair as she kissed her passionately.

When the kiss was eventually broken, Spencer slowly sunk down to her knees, in front of her girlfriend. Emily watched anxiously as Spencer wrapped her fist around the toy and slowly began moving it up and down the full length of the shaft. Spencer's tongue darted out and flicked across the tip of the toy. She then slowly licked down the underside of the shaft and back upward.

After a few moments, Spencer took in a deep breath to help let go of the apprehensions she was still holding on to and tentatively took only the tip of the toy into her mouth. She slowly took more and more of the length into her mouth as she began sucking. Emily stared down at her girlfriend, completely unable to take her eyes off of Spencer as she watched her head bob up and down about half of the length of the shaft. Unsure of what to do with her hands, Emily placed them flat against the outside of her thighs as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Spencer placed her hand on top of Emily's as she continued sucking.

After a few minutes, Spencer removed her mouth from the toy and made eye contact with her girlfriend as she slowly swirled her tongue around the tip of the faux appendage. Emily could feel her heart rate sky rocket as she watched Spencer run her tongue up and down the entire length of the underside of the shaft again. Spencer then placed her fist near the base of the toy and resumed passionately sucking at a steady pace. Spencer wrapped her free hand around the back of Emily's thigh, digging her fingernails into the sensitive flesh.

"Fuck, Spence." Emily groaned, squirming a little as she felt the harness rub against her most sensitive area.

Spencer removed her mouth from the toy for a moment in order to take in a much needed breath. As she caught her breath, she continued to pump the shaft up and down with her fist as she flicked her tongue over the tip a few times.

Emily slipped her hands into Spencer's hair as the brunette placed her mouth on the toy again. Spencer stared up at Emily, making eye contact and swallowing as much of the shaft as she could while being very careful about suppressing her gag reflex.

Emily's heart pounded hard against her chest as she ran her fingers through Spencer's soft, dark hair while never taking her eyes off of her girlfriend.

Emily was certain that she had never before been this turned on, she actually thought she might climax right then and there solely from the visual of Spencer staring up at her as the shaft of the toy slid between her lips. Spencer trailed one of her hands up the front of Emily's thigh and to her stomach. She gently caressed Emily's abdominal muscles with her fingertips as she bobbed her head up and down the shaft at a quicker pace, making sure to simultaneously press the base to Emily's pelvic area to create as much friction as possible.

"Shit." A soft moan escaped Emily's mouth and her hips involuntarily bucked forward as she intently watched Spencer suck much more aggressively.

Due to the harness fitting so tightly against her body, Emily could feel herself drawing closer to orgasm with practically every motion that Spencer made. Though Spencer was very focused on the blow job she was giving, that definitely didn't prevent her from being able to enjoy the tell tale expressions of pleasure on Emily's face as well as the moans her girlfriend was physically unable to hold back. Emily wasn't the only one finding herself extremely aroused by the act, however. At this point, Spencer could feel a large wet patch forming in the front of her panties. Never in a million years did Spencer expect to ever be giving a blow job, much less be this aroused while giving one. Maybe it was the way she could feel the muscles in Emily's legs tense beneath her fingertips, maybe it was the feeling of Emily's hands in her hair or perhaps it was simply the fact that she was bringing Emily so much pleasure in such a manner that no other girl ever had before. All Spencer knew was that at the moment, she found herself trying to ignore the almost overwhelming desire to touch herself and alleviate some of the extreme sexual tension that now plagued her mind and body.

Emily's eyes fluttered closed for a few moments as she found herself desperately fighting the urge to thrust for additional friction.

After a few minutes, Emily watched Spencer remove her mouth from the toy, needing to catch her breath again. As Spencer breathed heavily, Emily reached her hand down to her girlfriend. When Spencer placed her hand in Emily's, the architect helped pull her up to her feet. Emily smashed her lips against Spencer's, kissing her passionately. Spencer closed her eyes and moaned into the kiss when she felt Emily's tongue slip into her mouth. Emily's tongue worked against Spencer's and Emily could taste the faint cherry flavor that now lingered behind on her girlfriend's tongue. When Emily finally broke the kiss, she reached down and placed her arm behind Spencer's knees before lifting the brunette up off of her feet.

"Have I ever told you how much I love it when you do this?" Spencer said, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck.

"Pick you up, you mean?"

"Mm hm. And carry me to bed. It's just so sexy." Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's and gently nipped at the architect's bottom lip.

"Maybe next time you can carry me." Emily laughed, walking over to the bed with Spencer securely in her arms.

Emily gingerly laid the brunette down and climbed on top of her. She straddled Spencer's waist and began kissing all over her girlfriend's neck and chest. Emily quickly leaned back and removed her own bra before focusing her attention to the baby doll that Spencer was wearing. Emily removed the garment and carelessly tossed it away. The architect began placing a slow line of kisses over Spencer's breasts. She took one of Spencer's nipples into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the swollen nub. Spencer closed her eyes, a small moan escaping her lips. She laced her fingers into Emily's hair and arched her back into the architect's mouth.

"Em." Spencer moaned somewhat loudly when she felt Emily's teeth graze over her nipple.

Once Emily has paid a satisfactory amount of time to Spencer's breasts, she slowly kissed her way down her girlfriend's chest and flat stomach. Emily ran her fingers over Spencer's navel piercing and grasped the hem of the brunette's panties in her hands. Emily slid Spencer's underwear down her legs and slipped them off before tossing the garment back over her shoulder.

"You're so wet." Emily purred, glancing up at Spencer, their eyes meeting.

"Well, you have that effect on me." Spencer hissed. "You always have."

Emily smirked and positioned herself in between Spencer's thighs. She slowly spread her girlfriend's legs apart and laid down on the bed. Emily brought her right hand up and gently fingered Spencer's clit before slipping inside her entrance. Emily pumped her fingers in and out and dipped her head down. Her tongue darted out and she slowly licked across Spencer's thigh, upward toward her center. Emily used only the tip of her tongue to expertly circle Spencer's clit.

"Mmmm..." Spencer moaned, lacing her fingers into the architect's hair and pushing her head down.

Emily flicked her tongue over Spencer's clit a few times then flattened her tongue, licking upward before taking the hard, swollen bundle of nerves into her mouth. Spencer took a firm grip on Emily's hair and tugged roughly at her girlfriend's raven locks when she felt Emily's begin sucking.

"Oh, Em." Spencer cried out as Emily's mouth and tongue continued to explore her most intimate area.

Spencer closed her eyes as her hands released Emily's hair and gripped the bed sheets on either side of her body until her knuckles turned white. Spencer inhaled and exhaled a few short, rapid breaths as Emily increased the speed she was using with her tongue. Spencer sighed at the incredibly pleasurable sensations as she sunk down into the mattress. Spencer opened her eyes, finding herself slightly discouraged when Emily withdrew her tongue from her body. She watched anxiously as Emily discarded the condom she was wearing and reached into the nightstand, searching for a new one. When Emily found a new condom, she quickly ripped open the package and rolled it on.

Emily crawled up the bed and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend. Spencer slid her hands up Emily's back as she felt the architect's tongue dip into her mouth. As they kissed, Spencer felt the tip of the toy brush against her thigh as she waited patiently for Emily to slip inside her. When Emily broke the kiss, she pulled back and stared down at Spencer, but didn't move.

"What?" Spencer asked, confused as to why Emily seemed frozen in place.

"Nothing. You're just really beautiful."

"Aw, Em." Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emily smiled as she leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's again.

Spencer placed her hand behind Emily's head and opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Without breaking the kiss, Spencer rolled over on the bed, prompting Emily to follow suit. It was only a moment later that Spencer found herself on top of the architect.

"You don't mind if we try out a new position, do you?" Spencer asked, straddling Emily's waist.

"No. Not at all." A sly smile crept across Emily's face.

"I've never been on top before. I wanna see what the fuss is all about." Spencer said, huskily.

Spencer reached down and ran her hands over Emily's breasts, causing her nipples to immediately stiffen.

"Your piercings should be healed by now." Spencer said, fingering the metal bar bells in her girlfriend's nipples. "Is it okay if I-"

"God, yes." Emily cut her girlfriend off. "Waiting has been driving me nuts."

"Okay." Spencer smirked. She leaned down and slowly, almost torturously ran her tongue over one of Emily's erect nipples.

Emily's closed her eyes and groaned when she felt Spencer's lips close around her nipple and begin sucking.

"God." Emily arched her back, bringing her nipple in closer contact with Spencer's mouth.

"That feel good, babe?" Spencer asked before flicking her tongue over the architect's nipple again.

"You have no fucking idea." Emily choked out.

Spencer smirked to herself and sucked Emily's other nipple into her mouth, she swirled her tongue over the metal bar and sucked on it before taking the nipple in between her teeth and tugging on the hardened nub, bringing her girlfriend even greater pleasure.

After a few minutes, Spencer removed her mouth from Emily's nipple. Emily watched as Spencer took the base of the toy into her hand.

"You want any lube?" Emily asked.

"No. I'm good." Spencer braced herself and guided the tip of the toy inside her body.

Spencer slowly sunk down lower onto the shaft until Emily was all the way inside of her. Spencer moaned loudly and began rocking her hips forward and back, slowly at first, but quickly settling into a steady rhythm.

"Fuck." Emily groaned, placing her hands on Spencer's hips as the brunette continued to ride her.

Emily moved her hands up and down Spencer sides as she stared up at her girlfriend, trying to maintain eye contact, but became increasingly distracted by Spencer's round, perky breasts bouncing up and down in front of her face. Emily found herself very much enjoying this view. Emily reached up and placed her hands on Spencer' breasts, she squeezed them and fingered her nipples.

"Mmm..." Spencer moaned as she began bouncing up and down on top of Emily.

Spencer closed her eyes, very much enjoying the sensation of being filled as well as the ability to control the depth and speed of penetration.

"Oh yeah." Emily grunted, her eyes sinking lower as she watched the toy slide in and out of Spencer's body, the entire shaft glistening with her girlfriend's arousal.

Being inexperienced with this position, Spencer over-enthusiastically bounced up and down, inadvertently raising her hips too far upward, causing the toy to entirely slip out of her body.

"Crap. Sorry." Spencer said when her body crashed back down, pinning the toy against Emily's abdomen.

"It's okay. Just put it back in." Emily reached down and gripped the base of the toy in her fist, holding it still so that Spencer could more easily line herself up with the tip.

Spencer sunk down onto the shaft again. Once Emily was all the way back inside her, Spencer slowly resumed riding the architect. Emily began thrusting her hips upward, meeting Spencer halfway. The brunette placed her hand on Emily's chest for balance as she rode the architect even faster and harder. Emily closed her eyes, the added pressure from Spencer's hips crashing into her pelvis and forcing the base of the harness against her clit spiked Emily's arousal to an all time high. Emily breathed in and out steadily, trying to quell her arousal to keep herself from coming before Spencer did.

Though Emily immensely enjoyed this position, she now desperately wanted to take over. While remaining deep inside of her girlfriend, Emily grabbed Spencer's hips and flipped her over, roughly pinning her wrists to the mattress above her head. Emily locked eyes with Spencer, sweat droplets rolled down Emily's body, her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily. Spencer stared up into Emily's desire-clouded eyes with a completely surprised expression on her face.

"Woah. Where did that come from?" Spencer smirked, now more turned on than ever at Emily's passionately aggressive behavior.

"I...I'm not sure." Emily said, surprised at herself. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize. Just shut up and fuck me already." Spencer said huskily.

"And here I thought I had such a sweet and innocent girlfriend." Emily laughed, reaching up and sweeping her sweat-soaked hair back out of her face.

Emily then leaned down, pressed her forehead against Spencer's and captured the brunette's lips with her own as she began thrusting in and out as fast as her hips would allow. Spencer drug her fingernails up Emily's back and shoulders, leaving random marks all over the architect's skin.

"Mmm..." Emily grunted into the kiss, her shoulder muscles tensing from the pleasurable sensations of Spencer's fingernails digging into her skin.

Emily soon broke the kiss and buried her face into Spencer's shoulder. Emily pressed her lips to Spencer's neck and nipped at the sensitive flesh. Emily released a low guttural moan into Spencer's shoulder, somehow finding a sudden surge of extra energy, Emily began thrusting even harder into her girlfriend.

"Are you close?" Emily whispered huskily into Spencer's ear.

"Yeah." Spencer panted. "Don't stop..."

Spencer leaned her head back and moaned loudly, slipping her fingers into Emily's hair, her hands roaming down to the sweat-drenched small of Emily's back, then up to her shoulders once again.

"God." Spencer's breathing increased, her heart pounded against her chest and she held on tightly to Emily's shoulders as she felt a sudden, familiar sensation of heat creep up her body.

Spencer's muscles stiffened as she felt Emily slide in and out of her body at a rapid pace. At this point Spencer was dangerously close to coming. And she knew Emily was as well since her thrusts had drastically shifted from long, drawn out strokes to short, quick ones.

"Emily!" Spencer cried out loudly as her orgasm finally swept over her entire body, enveloping her from head to toe.

Emily gradually slowed her thrusts, helping Spencer to ride out her climax. Spencer laid on the bed, trying to catch her breath. It was only a moment later that she felt Emily pull out. Spencer groaned, though her orgasm was plenty satisfying, she was a little disappointed, as she would have preferred for Emily to remain inside of her for just a little bit longer.

Spencer opened her eyes to find Emily hovering over top of her, her hand underneath the harness, moving furiously as she desperately attempted to finish herself off. Spencer quickly swatted Emily's hand away, preventing her from further pleasuring herself.

"Spence, I really need to-" Emily pleaded, her mind clouded in a dense fog of arousal.

"I know." Spencer slipped her own fingers underneath the harness, seeking out the one spot when Emily now needed her the most.

Spencer used her free hand to pull Emily down for a heated kiss as she rubbed the architect fast and hard.

"Oh fuck." Emily grunted into the kiss as she bucked her hips against Spencer's fingers. Emily's muscles tensed and she felt an intense tightening sensation in the pit of her stomach as she finally felt herself tumble over the edge. Emily's eyes fluttered closed as she climaxed, a sense of relief washing over her entire body.

When Emily's orgasm had dwindled, she opened her eyes and exhaled heavily as she placed another kiss to Spencer's lips. Emily then rolled over and collapsed onto her back.

"Holy crap, that was great." Emily said, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips as she reached down and removed the condom from the toy, discarding it into the trash.

Emily was about to remove the strap on, but was interrupted by Spencer wrapping her arms around her and tangling their legs together. Emily placed her arm around her girlfriend's shoulder as Spencer laid her head on the architect's chest.

"So...be honest...the blow job...it was okay...right?" Spencer asked, looking up at her girlfriend.

"It was awesome, baby. Even better than I hoped it would be." Emily said, gently stroking Spencer's hair. "I hope it wasn't bad for you."

"It wasn't bad at all. I actually didn't mind. It was pretty hot, huh?"

"Totally. I appreciate you doing it for me. Do you think there's any chance I might get another one sometime?"

"Of course you will." Spencer laughed. "Don't worry."

"Cool."

"I'm so glad you liked it. You know something else?"

"What's that?"

"I'm really loving this new aggressive side you've got going on lately." Spencer gently moved her hand up and down Emily's abdomen. "The way you just flipped me over...now that was hot...don't stop that."

"I won't." Emily smiled. "I was really, really into it. And I could really get used to the little wild streak you have."

"Good. I don't see it going away any time soon." Spencer smirked. "And I do have to give you a lot of credit, by the way. You lasted way longer than I expected you would have."

"Yeah well, I had to make sure that you got where you needed to go before I did. You're way more important."

"Thanks...I'm sorry about before...when I was on top. I'll get better at that position. I just misjudged the length-" Spencer buried her face into Emily's chest, a little embarrassed.

"Spence, it's fine. Sex isn't perfect. It's a little clumsy sometimes. That happens, it's no big deal."

"I'll just have to practice more." Spencer chuckled. "I mean, if you're up for it."

"Hey, if you wanna ride me like that every single night, you'll never, ever hear me complain about it. I could watch you do that all day long."

"Good to know." Spencer smiled and placed a gentle kiss to Emily's still sweat-dampened chest.

"Would you mind if we got under the blanket?"

"No. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just starting to cool down and the air conditioning is getting to me."

"You want me to turn it off? Or get you something to sleep in?"

"I'd rather you get under this blanket and spoon me instead."

"I can do that." Emily reached down to the bottom of the bed and pulled the blanket up over she and Spencer.

Spencer rolled over onto her side. It was only a few seconds later that she felt Emily's hard, warm body pressed up against her back. Emily wrapped her arms around Spencer, gently moved her hair to the side and kissed Spencer's neck.

"Don't you dare try to turn me on. I'm exhausted. If you want more, you're gonna have to go solo." Spencer laughed. "I'd be okay with watching though."

"Are you kidding? I couldn't go again if I tried. I can barely feel my legs right now."

"Good. That's definitely what I was going for." Spencer turned her head, looking back over her shoulder and pressed her lips to Emily's.

 

 


	95. Chapter 95

The next morning.

Spencer slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Emily, who was lying flat on her back, stretched out with one hand behind her head, snoring contently.

As Spencer stretched out her muscles, she noticed a bulge underneath the blanket from the strap on that Emily had been too exhausted to remove the night before. Spencer smirked to herself. She gently kissed Emily's neck and slowly moved the blanket off of Emily's body. Spencer then carefully straddled Emily's waist and took the base of the toy into her hand. She lined the tip up with her entrance and slowly guided the shaft into herself. Spencer bit her lip, stifling a moan at the sensation of being filled.

Emily slowly opened her eyes when she felt Spencer begin gently rocking back and forth on top of her. Emily glanced downward, realizing that she was still wearing the strap on and the toy was now inside of her girlfriend. Emily placed her hands on Spencer's hips, grinning from ear to ear as the brunette began bouncing up and down.

"Good morning." Spencer said, breathing heavily.

"It sure is for me." Emily stared up into Spencer's eyes. "Fuck." She moaned, feeling the base of the toy rub against her most sensitive area.

Spencer slowly slid her hands up Emily's chest to her shoulders, simultaneously leaning down to press her lips to the architect's. Spencer quickly opened her mouth, allowing Emily the opportunity to slip her tongue inside.

"Mmm..." Spencer moaned into the kiss, goose bumps rising all over her skin at the feeling of Emily's hands groping and sliding up the small of her back.

After a few moments, Spencer broke the kiss and sat back up. She stared down into Emily's eyes while continuing to rock her hips forward and back at a slightly quicker pace.

"You know, I was gonna get up early and surprise you with breakfast in bed. But, you're the one who surprised me." Emily laughed. "And this is definitely a way better surprise."

"Well, I wanted to give this another try." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest, just below her collarbone.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Emily smirked, her eyes wandering to Spencer's breasts as they bounced in front of her face.

Spencer smiled to herself when she noticed Emily focusing intently on her breasts.

"I'll still get breakfast after though, right?" Spencer asked, continuing to ride Emily even harder.

"Yeah. Absolutely." Emily groaned, reaching up and placing her hands on Spencer's breasts as she began thrusting her hips upward to meet her girlfriend. "Anything you want."

* * *

"So...I believe I owe you some breakfast." Emily leaned over to the opposite side of the bed and kissed Spencer. "And good thing for me too, because I'm starving."

"You shouldn't be. You just ate." Spencer said cheekily, biting her lip.

"Which I'm always more than happy to do, but I've got a big appetite." Emily laughed as she got up and walked over to the dresser.

"You're not shy this morning, are you?" Spencer sat up, clutching the bed sheet to her chest as she looked across the room at Emily, who was completely naked, riffling through her dresser drawer.

"Not with you." Emily shrugged, pulling out a pair of boxer shorts and a sports bra. You've never given me any reason to be."

Spencer smiled softly, she wrapped herself in a sheet and got up out of bed as Emily got dressed.

"You don't feel self-conscious with me, right?" Emily worried. "I mean lately you've been so confident and everything...you just let me go down on you for like twenty minutes and now you don't want me to see you naked? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. Of course not." Spencer said, reassuringly. "You don't make me feel self-conscious. It's just me...I..."

"Wait, I think I get it. Being naked...during sex or right before, it's different...your hormones are racing, there's a lot of anticipation and you're so excited that you forget to be nervous about your body. Or even at night, after we have sex when it's dark and you get out of bed, it's not quite like walking around completely naked in broad daylight."

"Exactly." Spencer nodded. "I know it's dumb and I'm sorry. I'm trying to get over it, but..."

"It's not dumb. And I understand. I mean you look great and you definitely don't have anything to feel shy about with me, but I get it." Emily leaned down and placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead. "I'll give you some privacy and go get started on breakfast. What would you like me to make? I can do pancakes or French toast. Or if you don't feel like that, I make a mean Southwestern omelette."

"Actually, an omelette sounds awesome. Is it okay if I take a shower first?"

"Go ahead. I'll have breakfast ready and waiting when you get out." Emily said, heading toward the door.

"Wait...Em?"

"Yeah?" Emily asked, turning around to face her girlfriend again.

Spencer didn't speak, but only took in a deep breath and slowly dropped the sheet that had been covering her body. Spencer watched as a huge smirk crept across Emily's lips.

Emily walked back over to her girlfriend and placed her hands on the brunette's bare hips.

"I told you, you don't have anything to worry about." Emily's eyes wandered up and down Spencer's body. "You're perfect." Emily said, sincerely. "Every single inch of you."

Emily leaned down and captured Spencer's lips in a chaste kiss.

* * *

When Spencer got out of the shower, she got dressed and headed out to the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your deodorant." Spencer said. "I totally forgot to pack mine."

"It's cool. No big deal."

"I don't get how you use that gel stuff though. It's wet and sticky. It feels weird."

"Beggars can't be choosers, can they?" Emily laughed.

"I guess not." Spencer laughed too.

"I see you found my favorite boxers too." Emily said, noticing that Spencer was wearing a pair of blue shorts printed all over with various construction tools. "I've been looking everywhere. Where'd you find 'em?"

"Oh, I brought them with me. I borrowed them a while ago and forgot to give them back. Sorry."

"It's okay. You look better in them than I do anyway. You've got much better legs."

"Thanks. I wonder why these are your favorite though?" Spencer joked. "I never would have guessed."

"If you could stop teasing me for two minutes, you'd be able to enjoy the breakfast I made for you." Emily chuckled. "Sit down."

"You first." Spencer pulled out one of the chairs and waited for Emily to sit down.

Once Emily was seated, Spencer sat down across her girlfriend's lap.

"Best seat in the house." Spencer smiled.

Emily wrapped one arm around Spencer's waist and used her free hand to cut a small piece of the omelette with a fork.

"Taste this." Emily said, lifting the fork to Spencer's mouth.

"That's fantastic." Spencer chewed a few times before swallowing. "It's spicy, but not too spicy."

"I'm glad you like it."

"Seriously, why can't this be every morning?" Spencer asked, taking another bite of the omelette.

"I wish it could be." Emily tucked a strand of hair behind Spencer's ear and kissed her.

A few minutes later Emily and Spencer were interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing from the bedroom.

"You think it's my phone or yours?" Emily asked, knowing that she and Spencer had the exact same ring tone.

"Ten bucks says it's your mom." Spencer laughed, getting up from Emily's lap.

"Probably." Emily snorted. "I'll go see what she wants."

It was only a moment later that Emily returned from the bedroom with Spencer's ringing phone in her hand. "It's your sister."

Spencer took the phone from Emily and answered it.

After a few minutes Spencer ended the call and placed the phone on the table.

"So...what did she want?" Emily asked.

"She wants to know if I wanna go to lunch with her and mom later this afternoon. Then go out for a horseback ride at my mom's friend's stable."

"You should go. It sounds like fun."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No. Not at all. I'm just saying if you wanna go, you should go. I can pick you up at the stable later on and maybe we can do something for dinner?"

"Sure. That sounds good."

"I was also hoping that maybe you'd come shopping with me to get a desk for my new office."

"I thought you were gonna build one."

"I was, but I'm just really excited to get everything going, so I'm gonna buy one. I'll put it together myself though. No way am I gonna pay extra to have the store assemble it." Emily laughed.

"Well, I guess that'd be okay." Spencer laughed too. "So, what are you gonna do this afternoon then?"

"I don't know." Emily shrugged. "My buddy's been bugging me to help him do some work on his car. I'll probably see if he's free today."

"Does that mean you guys are basically gonna day drink all afternoon while you stand around staring at a car?" Spencer laughed.

"No." Emily laughed, shaking her head. "He's big into restoring classic cars. He's great at body work, but horrible when it comes to engine stuff."

"So you don't mind if I go with Melissa and my mom for a while this afternoon?"

"It's fine." Emily said. "I'll keep myself occupied. But, right now let's just sit down and finish our breakfast."

"That's a good idea."

Emily sat back down and Spencer quickly resumed her position on Emily's lap as they continued eating.

"You want some of this bacon?" Emily asked, raising a strip of bacon to Spencer's mouth. "I made it extra crispy. Just the way you like it."

"Thanks." Spencer smiled, happily accepting the strip of bacon. "And thank you for making me breakfast. You're the best girlfriend."

"No problem. You deserve it."

Emily nestled her face up against Spencer's neck and gently kissed the junction between her neck and shoulder. Spencer smiled to herself as she raised her coffee mug to her lips. Emily moved aside the strap of Spencer's tank top and placed a gentle line of kisses over her shoulder. As Spencer ate, Emily continued slowly kissing her way up Spencer's neck, to her ear lobe.

"You know, if you keep doing that, we're gonna have to go back to the bedroom." Spencer said, taking another bite of the omelette in front of her.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Emily laughed.

"I guess not." Spencer snorted. "I wouldn't fight ya. I mean this morning was really good, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah. Good doesn't even cover it, actually. I'd have to say that was hands down the best wake up call I've ever gotten."

"Good." Spencer turned her head and pressed her lips to Emily's.

Spencer closed her eyes as she felt Emily's hands slowly slide up and down her bare thighs. Emily opened her mouth, deepening the kiss and slipping her tongue into Spencer's mouth. Spencer shifted a little in Emily's lap as she slipped her hands into the architect's hair. The kiss quickly became more heated and desperate by the moment, until all of a sudden Emily and Spencer were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Maybe some day we'll actually be able to get some privacy." Emily sighed, breaking the kiss. "Must be my punishment for missing church this morning."

Emily stood up, lifting Spencer up with her. She gently set the brunette down on her feet and walked through the living room. Emily opened the door to find her next door neighbor, Gwen, standing on the other side, a panicked expression on her face and tears running down her cheeks.

"Gwen. What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"I really hate to bother you, but..." Gwen sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "I just...I need your help. I was in my kitchen washing some dishes and my cat knocked my ring into the sink and it fell down the drain. Is there someway I can get it back? I don't know what to do. It's my grandmother's ring, she left it for me in her will-"

"I know. It's okay. Just calm down. We'll get it back." Emily said, calmly. "It's probably just sitting in the trap underneath the sink."

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, walking to the front door.

"Gwen lost her ring down her kitchen sink."

"Oh no." Spencer said, sympathetically. "You can get it out for her, right?" She looked up at Emily.

"I think so." Emily nodded. "Just don't run any more water through the drain. Give me a minute to put some pants on and grab a wrench. I'll be right over."

"Thank you." Gwen said, gratefully as she headed back to her own apartment.

Emily closed the door and walked into her bedroom, where she picked up a pair of jeans from the floor, near her dresser.

"Do you think it'll be hard to get the ring out?" Spencer asked, watching Emily pull her jeans up her legs before zipping and buttoning them.

"It shouldn't be. It probably hasn't gotten too far into the pipe." Emily said as she slipped on a pair of sneakers. "I'll take the p trap off, that's the curved part of the pipe. It probably just sunk down into the bend and is just sitting there. That's what normally happens."

"Good. She seemed really upset."

"Yeah. That ring is pretty important to her. It belonged to her grandmother and they were really, really close. Gwen was totally torn up about her passing away last year. She almost never takes that ring off...could you grab me a shirt, please?"

"Sure." Spencer slid open one of Emily's dresser drawers and took out a t shirt which she then handed to her girlfriend.

"Thanks." Emily slipped the shirt on over her head.

"Can I help you somehow?" Spencer asked.

"It's kind of a one person job, but you can come with me if you want. I don't think Gwen will mind."

"Okay." Spencer nodded, following Emily out of the bedroom.

"I gotta run out to my truck. Would you go tell Gwen I'm on my way over?"

"Of course."

When Emily walked into Gwen's apartment, she found Spencer sitting next to Gwen on the couch. Gwen fidgeted nervously, trying to keep calm as she waited for Emily.

"Do you have a bucket or a bowl or something I can use to catch the water drips?" Emily asked.

"Um..." Gwen stood up from the couch and opened one of the cabinets. "Will this work?" She pulled out a small plastic food storage container.

"Perfect. Thanks." Emily took the container and knelt down in front of the sink.

Emily opened the cabinet and placed the container underneath the pipe. She reached back, past the pipe and shut off the water valve. Emily adjusted the wrench and latched it onto the pipe. Gwen bent over, watching anxiously as Emily gave the wrench a few turns to loosen the pipe.

"Can you see it?" Gwen asked. "Is it in there?"

"I'll tell you in a second here." Emily said. "Let me just get the pipe off."

Emily gently disconnected the small curved section of pipe from the rest of the sink drain and some water dripped out into the container. Emily then tilted the piece of pipe in her hand, allowing the rest of the water caught in the bend of the pipe to drain out. As the water flowed out into the container, the small gold ring dropped into the plastic container. Emily plucked the ring from the container and dried it off on her shirt.

"Here you go." Emily handed the ring to her neighbor and stood up.

"Thank you." Gwen slipped the ring onto her finger and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Emily's body with almost enough force to knock the architect over. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." Emily smiled, returning the embrace.

"I never put my ring up on the window sill when I wash dishes. I don't know why I did. I should have known better. Pumpkin always jumps up there." Gwen said, bending down and picking up the orange striped cat from the floor. "She's such a klutz."

"It's okay. It was just a little accident, right, buddy?" Emily took the cat from Gwen and gently stroked her fur. "You didn't mean to. But, you sure scared your mom."

"Look, I'm really sorry that I bothered you guys. I just don't know anything about this stuff and when I called the land lord he said he was out of town and could maybe stop by later tonight, but I was so worried I couldn't wait that long. I didn't really know who else to call."

"Gwen. You're not bothering me." Emily said sincerely. "If you need something, you can always call me. What are neighbors for?"

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Anyway, while I already have the p trap off of the sink, I'll go ahead and clean it out and replace the pressure washers since our land lord sucks at plumbing and did a horrible job the last time he tried to fix it."

"I don't know what that stuff is, but thanks." Gwen laughed.

"I just gotta run out to my truck and grab a couple of things. Be right back." Emily set the cat down on the floor and headed back outside.

"Emily is such a sweetie." Gwen looked over at Spencer.

"She really is." Spencer nodded. "She'd do just about anything for anyone."

"I honestly am sorry for interrupting your morning. I know it's still kinda early. I hope I didn't wake you guys up."

"You didn't. We've been up for a while. It's no big deal." Spencer said. "Besides Emily loves doing this kind of stuff. You should see her when she goes into a Home Depot. She's like a little kid in a toy store." Spencer laughed.

"That's so cute." Gwen laughed too. "You know, she's really been a million times happier since you guys got together. After we met and started talking more and getting to know each other better, she confided in me about all the stuff she's been through, I felt so sorry for her. She was so depressed and lonely. Every girl she went out with, she'd find some reason to break it off before things got serious. But, she's been totally into you since day one and I'm so glad that she found a nice girl. She deserves it."

"Thanks." Spencer smiled. "I'm glad she's happy with me. Emily's one of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met."

When Emily returned to the apartment, she finished with the sink after only a few minutes and turned the water back on.

"Okay. You're good to go." Emily stood up and wiped her hands off on a small rag that she had brought in from her truck.

"Thanks again, Em. You're the best. You don't know how much I really appreciate it." Gwen said. "Can I pay you or-"

"Oh God, no." Emily replied. "Don't worry about it. It was no trouble at all."

"You ready to go finish our breakfast?" Emily placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder and kissed the side of her head.

"Sounds good." Spencer smiled.

"We'll see ya later." Emily turned to Gwen.

When they got back to Emily's apartment, Emily set her wrench down on the kitchen table. She picked up the half-eaten plate of food that was still sitting on the table and took it over to the microwave.

"You know that I really love watching you use tools." Spencer said, picking up the wrench. "But, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't put your tool belt on."

"A tool belt wasn't really necessary for that." Emily laughed. "I only needed one wrench."

"I know, but I haven't gotten to see you in your tool belt for a while. I told you I wanted to see you in it...and nothing else."

"I know. I know." Emily laughed.

"So when are you gonna wear it for me then?" Spencer asked, slipping her hands up over Emily's shoulders and kissing her.

"Soon. But, it's no fun if you plan it. I mean, I know you don't really like surprises. You'd rather know exactly what to expect and plan out every single situation, but shouldn't something like this be a little more spontaneous?"

"Well, I guess spontaneity would add more of an appeal, wouldn't it?"

"Yes. So you'll just have to wait." Emily chuckled as she placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead.

* * *

Once Melissa, Spencer and Veronica had left for the afternoon, Emily headed over to the Hastings' house to begin work on the bookcase she was planning to build for Spencer. Emily rang the doorbell and waited. It wasn't long before Peter appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, Emily. How are you?" Peter said.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Great."

"I was wondering, is it all right if I borrow your garage for a couple of hours while Spencer's out?"

"Yes. Definitely. I was just about to watch the Phillies game, I'll be in the family room. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks a lot."

"I'll open up the garage door for you." Peter stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind him."

"Thanks. And thanks again for letting me use your garage. I appreciate it. I'm excited to get started. I decided to do something a little bit different. Tell me what you think...I decided to do a rotating bookcase. It'll give it a sleeker, space-saving and functional design."

Emily pulled a rolled up piece of paper out of her back pocket and showed it to Peter. On the paper was a sketch.

"I thought I'd install a lazy Susan and do kind of a more rounded design with a bunch of different sized shelves to fit books and other smaller items."

"This is great. Spencer will love it." Peter said, looking over the sketch.

"Thanks."

"I still I have to find out what color wood stain she'd like the best though."

"How do you plan on doing that with out blowing the surprise?" Peter asked as he opened up the garage door.

"Well, Spencer's not an easy person to fool, but I think I have an idea that'll work." Emily said. "I asked her to come with me to help pick out a desk for my new office. I figure while we look, I can ask her what colors she likes and it won't seem suspicious."

"That sounds like a solid plan. I don't think she'll suspect a thing. I didn't know that you took any office space either. Spencer said you were looking at a couple of places, but she didn't mention that you decided on anything."

"Oh yeah. I just signed the lease. Now I have to get everything set up. But, I'm looking forward to it."

"I bet. It'll be nice for you to have your own space. Well, the garage is all yours. Do you need anything?"

"I don't think so. I should have everything I need in my truck."

"All right." Peter nodded. "I'll let you get started. But, if you need a break, there's beer in the fridge, you can help yourself. And feel free to come in and watch some of the game, if you want."

"Thanks, Mister Hastings."

* * *

Later that afternoon.

Emily arrived at the horse stable. She pulled her truck into the gravel driveway and parked next to Veronica's car. As Emily stepped out of her truck, she noticed four people on horseback riding toward the barn from a large wooded area. Emily walked toward the barn, but stopped and turned around to look out into the distance at a large, fenced in pasture where multiple horses were grazing on lush, green grass while other horses ran around the pasture. As Emily became increasingly distracted watching the horses, she didn't even hear Spencer and Melissa riding up behind her.

"Hi, Em. Good timing." Spencer said.

Emily turned around, slightly startled to find her girlfriend sitting on top of a very large black horse.

"Oh geez." Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and took a step back, nervous when she found herself face to face with the large animal.

"You're not afraid of a little horse, are you?" Melissa said.

"Me? Afraid? Yeah right." Emily said.

"Where's your mom?" Emily asked, changing the subject.

"She's probably in the barn." Spencer replied.

The horse then snorted loudly and shook its head, causing Emily to take another large step back.

"Oh my God. You are scared." Spencer laughed a little. "I don't get it. You love animals."

"I do, but I like it better when I'm bigger than them...or when I can watch them from a safe distance…this guy's huge." Emily said, looking at the horse. "He could probably kill me if he wanted to."

"No way. Yes, he's big, but he's a sweetheart. He wouldn't hurt a fly." Spencer leaned down and patted the horse's neck.

"He just wants you to pay some attention to him." Melissa said. "He won't hurt you."

"Pet him." Spencer urged.

"Um...where's the best place to pet him?" Emily asked.

"Just touch his nose. He likes that."

"O...okay." Emily slowly stepped forward and reached her hand out. She tentatively stroked the horse's nose. "What's his name?"

"Phantom." Spencer said.

"Hi, Phantom." Emily said, timidly. "Please don't bite me."

"He won't." Melissa said. "Unless you put your fingers directly into his mouth." She laughed.

After a few seconds, Emily's nervousness began to dissipate.

"You like that, buddy?" Emily asked, moving her hand to scratch underneath the horse's chin. "That feels good, huh?"

Phantom then moved his head and nudged Emily's arm with his nose.

"He likes you." Spencer smiled. "You wanna ride him?"

"Oh, no. No, I'm good. Maybe next time." Emily said.

"You'll stand and work up on a roof all day long, but you're too scared to get up on a horse?" Melissa said.

"The roof doesn't move when I'm standing on it." Emily laughed.

"I guess." Spencer swung her leg over the horse's back, her feet making contact with the ground only a second later.

"You know, Em. I can't believe you lived in Texas for as long as you did and don't have any experience with horses." Melissa said as she dismounted from her own horse. "Weren't there any ranches around?"

"There were some, but I was pretty busy with school and swimming and everything that I never really had the chance to visit."

"I'm gonna go take her in the barn and get this saddle off." Melissa said, taking the reins and leading her horse.

"Okay. I'll be right there."

"So, I have to say...this is a good look for you." Emily said, her eyes wandering all the way from Spencer's black helmet, to her short-sleeved blue polo shirt embroidered with the name of the stable, which was tucked into her black, form-fitting riding breeches.

Emily's eyes then sunk down to Spencer's knee high black riding boots.

"Yeah?" Spencer smirked, unbuckling her helmet and removing it. "You like it?"

"Absolutely." Emily nodded.

Spencer took off the black riding gloves she was wearing and placed them inside of the helmet.

"How long have you been riding?" Emily asked.

"A long time. Since I was a kid, actually. Melissa and I used to do shows all the time."

"Wow. Really? So you've got a lot of experience then."

"I guess you could say that." Spencer smirked. "I've got a lot of blue ribbons stored away at home."

"Well, I just hope she doesn't ride you better than she rides me." Emily laughed, patting the horse's neck.

"Oh my God." Spencer rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, I'd love to take you on a horseback ride." She said, excitedly. "We'll get you a nice, gentle beginner horse. It'll be fun."

"What if I fall off?"

"You won't. We'll get you a little guy. You're tall, your feet will probably almost touch the ground. If you think you're gonna fall you can just stand up." Spencer laughed.

"Oh man. I don't know who that sounds more humiliating for, me or the horse." Emily chuckled.

"Well, just think about it. I really would love to take you out on a ride. You wanna give him a treat?" Spencer asked.

"What kind of a treat?"

"Here. He loves peppermints." Spencer took a peppermint candy from her pocket and handed it to Emily. "They're his favorite."

Emily unwrapped the candy and placed it in her palm.

"Just hold your hand flat out under his mouth." Spencer took Emily's wrist and guided it to the horse's mouth.

He happily gobbled up the peppermint in a matter of seconds, leaving a little bit of slobber behind on Emily's palm, which she wiped off on the leg of her jeans.

"Let's go into the barn. I just have to take his saddle off and brush him out, then we can go furniture shopping."

"Can I help?"

"You wanna brush him?"

"Okay." Emily nodded.

"I knew you liked him." Spencer smiled, poking Emily in the stomach.

"Well, I mean he is pretty cute."

"Follow me." Spencer smiled. "Just don't stand behind him." Spencer began walking toward the barn.

 

 


	96. Chapter 96

"So do you like this desk or that one better?" Emily touched the corner of the floor model she was standing beside and then pointed to another one near by.

"I like that bigger 'L' shaped one." Spencer said. "It seems and a little nicer. I think it'll be big enough for all of your stuff and won't be cluttered like your computer desk at your apartment.

"I think so too." Emily nodded. "It comes in a bunch of different colors. What color of wood stain do you like?"

"Shouldn't what you like be more important?"

"You're just really good with decorating and everything. I want your opinion."

"Well, I've always really liked the darker colors."

"Me too. Tell me which of these you like best." Emily picked up a pamphlet from the desk and opened it. She skipped over the first couple of pages of light colored stains.

Emily and Spencer took a few minutes to glance over the different available darker stain samples.

"This one's really pretty." Spencer pointed to a small square of a dark reddish sample.

Emily glanced at the name of the color sample. "The color's called Rosewood. Seems pretty fitting to me." She smiled.

"It's perfect." Spencer agreed. "What else do you need?"

"I'm gonna need at least a few chairs and a probably a file cabinet, for the big stuff anyway. I'll still need some office supplies too. Basically everything."

"Okay. Let's go look around see what we can find."

Spencer and Emily both walked through the large office supply chain, picking out everything from various pieces of furniture to the smallest items such as pens and pencils.

"So how pissed was your mom when she told you her flight for today got cancelled?" Spencer asked.

"She was pretty annoyed, but there's not much you can do when the plane has mechanical issues. It's not worth risking. She and my dad will be here late tomorrow morning though. They were able to book the first available flight."

"That's good. I wish I didn't have school so I could go with you to the airport to pick them up. I'd skip if I could, but I have finals and everything."

Emily smiled to herself. It made her extremely happy to know that Spencer cared about her parents and spending time with them.

"It's okay. I don't want you to skip school anyway. You're graduating in just over a week. You've got a lot of loose ends to tie up before then."

"That's true, I guess. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I did talk to my dad too. He and my mom wanna meet and take you and your parents out for dinner this week, I mean if your parents want to."

"That's so nice of them and that sounds great. My parents are looking forward to meeting yours. Just let us know whenever is good for your parents."

"Will do. Do you and your parents have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Nothing too major. I'm gonna show them my office. My dad said he'd come with me to pick up all of my furniture and help me assemble it, so we're gonna try to do that. We should be able to get everything set up. Maybe you can come by my place after school and have dinner with us?"

"I'd love to."

"Awesome. Now, I gotta get home and straighten up my apartment before my parents come." Emily said.

"You know your mom's just gonna re-clean it to her mom standards, so why bother?" Spencer laughed.

"You're not wrong." Emily snickered. "But, I at least have to get some laundry done tonight."

"I'm sure your mom will insist on doing that too."

"Probably, but I'm on my last pair of underwear right now and I really don't wanna have to go commando."

"Why not? You should." Spencer smirked.

"No way. It feels awkward. And it's too risky. You never know what might happen during the day. Especially with my job."

"Well, fine. I'll make you a deal. When we get back to your place, if you make me food, I'll do your laundry. And if you make dessert, I'll even fold and put it away too."

"Seems fair." Emily nodded. "But, will you fold my underwear the way I do it instead of rolling them up?"

"Yes." Spencer said sarcastically. "I'll fold them into little squares, just how you like it. I know it bugs you when I roll them up. Even though it's more practical and space saving. Because who wants that?"

"I could do without the sass." Emily laughed. "But, you've got yourself a deal." She leaned over and placed a kiss to the side of Spencer's head.

* * *

It was late the next morning when Emily arrived at the airport. She checked her watch, noting that her parents' plane was scheduled to land in the next twenty minutes. Emily sat down and looked up at the flight schedule on the large electronic board a few feet away, glad to see that the plane was running right on time. She waited patiently, standing up only when she noticed her parents file out of the terminal door among the crowd of other passengers. After a few moments, Emily caught her father's eye from across the terminal and waved to him. Pam and Wayne both quickly made their way over to Emily.

"Hi sweetie." Pam said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you guys?"

"Wonderful now that we're here." Pam gave her daughter another squeeze before letting go.

"Hi, Emmy. It's great to see you, kiddo." Wayne said, his familiar deep, gravelly resonated in Emily's ear as he hugged her.

"I'm so glad you guys are here."

"So are we, hun." Wayne said. "Sorry we couldn't make it yesterday."

"It's all right. It's not your fault the flight got cancelled. I can't wait to show you guys my new office."

"And we can't wait to see it, baby." Pam smiled proudly.

"Let's go get your bags." Emily said. "Then we can head back to my place and get you guys settled in."

"Honey, are you sure you don't mind your dad and I staying with you for the week?" Pam asked. "We can still check into a hotel if..."

"Of course I don't mind. You guys can have my bed and I'll just sleep on the couch. No big deal."

"As long as you're sure." Wayne placed his arm around Emily's shoulder as they made their way to the baggage claim.

"How far away is your office from here?" Pam asked.

"Not far at all. About twenty minutes. It's right down town. Takes about half an hour from my apartment."

"That's not bad." Wayne said.

"Nope. It's actually only a few blocks away from the Hastings' law office. And speaking of the Hastings, Spencer said her parents wanna meet you guys and take all of us to dinner this week. You guys will go, right? I'd appreciate it."

"Of course, honey." Pam said.

"Great. Thanks. I'm a lot friendlier with Mister Hastings now, but I'm still trying my best to stay on his good side."

"I'm glad to hear the situation improved." Wayne said. "I knew it wouldn't take you long to win over Spencer's father."

"So how was the prom?" Pam asked. "Did you and Spencer have a good time?"

"Definitely. We had a lot of fun. We went with a group of Spencer's friends."

"I'm glad you finally got to go to prom. I felt terrible when you missed yours."

"I didn't mind. It wasn't a big deal. I would have been fine if I never went to a prom. It was way more for Spencer than it was for me."

"Well, either way, I bet you two were the cutest couple there."

"I can't speak for me, but Spencer was definitely the most beautiful girl there." Emily smiled. "She looked amazing."

* * *

Once Emily parked her car in the lot of her apartment complex, she and her parents stepped out and unloaded the bags from the trunk.

"Have you gotten to take the bike out much since it got shipped up here, Em?" Wayne asked, glancing over at the black and red sport bike in the adjacent parking spot.

"Oh yeah. I ride it whenever I can. We've had some pretty nice weather lately, so Spencer and I will take it out if we're just going around town to dinner or something."

"How does Spencer like it?" Wayne asked.

"She likes it a lot. I'm glad I decided to get it shipped up here. It's way more fun than driving my car."

"Just please make sure you're being careful." Pam said. "And wearing helmets. You know I worry."

"I'm always careful." Emily said reassuringly. "I'd never go without a helmet. I'd especially never let Spencer go without one."

Emily closed the trunk and she and Wayne picked up the bags.

"Do you need any help?" Pam asked.

"Nope. I think we've got everything." Emily said as she and her parents made their way to the apartment.

Emily unlocked the door and took a step back so that her mother and father could go inside first.

"It looks like I'll have my work cut out for me this week." Pam said, looking around the cluttered apartment.

"I know my place is kind of a mess. I'm sorry. I meant to clean up. Spencer did some laundry for me, but I ran out of time-"

"Emily. Don't make your girlfriend do your laundry." Pam chided. "She's not your maid."

"I, uh...I didn't make her. I'd never expect that. I said I had laundry to get done and she said she'd do it, if I cooked her dinner. It was getting kinda late, so we compromised."

"All right then." Pam nodded.

"See. You know we raised her better than that." Wayne smiled.

"I might not have had much time to clean, but I did at least put new sheets and everything on my bed for you guys."

"Thank you, honey." Pam placed her hand on Emily's cheek.

* * *

"So Em, now that we've got all of your chairs put together, your file cabinet and drafting table moved in, you ready to tackle putting together the desk?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah. But, I'm getting kinda hungry. You take a lunch break? We can order a pizza."

"Sure. That sounds good." Wayne nodded.

Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked up the number to the small pizza shop that was located just down the road. She dialed the number, placed an order and after just a few moments she ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"They said it should only be about twenty minutes." Emily said. "While we wait, can you help me get the desk out of the truck?"

"Of course."

Wayne followed Emily out to the parking lot behind the building. Emily lowered the tailgate down on the vehicle. She jumped up into the bed of the truck and slid the box containing the desk toward the tailgate where Wayne was standing on the ground. Wayne grabbed one end of the box and helped Emily gently slide it out of the bed. Once the box was safely on the ground Wayne leaned it against the truck. Emily then jumped down out of the truck and closed the tailgate. She and Wayne carefully turned the large box on its side.

"Got it?" Wayne asked.

"Yep." Emily said as she and her father each lifted up their end of the box and carried it into the building.

Emily and Wayne gently laid the box down on the floor. Emily knelt down and took a small utility knife from her pocket, she sliced open the box and began removing the pieces and hardware.

"Okay, let's take a look at these instructions." Wayne bent down and picked up the instruction booklet from amongst the loose pieces.

"Please. We don't need instructions. I'm a professional, remember?"

"For not needing instructions, you sure spend an awful lot of time looking at blueprints." Wayne laughed. "Aren't those instructions?"

"Well yeah." Emily rolled her eyes and laughed. "But, that's different. That's more complicated. This is just a simple desk. I could build this in my sleep."

It wasn't long before the deliveryman arrived with the pizza. Emily followed her father from her office out into the lobby area.

"Here, dad. I've got cash." Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get it." Wayne took his own wallet from his pocket, paid and thanked the delivery driver.

"This smells great." Wayne said. "I think we've earned a break, don't you?"

"Definitely." Emily nodded.

Wayne set the pizza box down on one of the chairs and took a seat in one of the other empty chairs. Wayne opened the box and handed Emily a large slice of pizza.

"So, how's everything been going lately?" Wayne asked. "This is a really nice space. You must be excited to have your own office."

"I am. It'll be nice to have a place to work and store all of my stuff. And I'll be able to meet with clients instead of always having to go to them. Hopefully it'll keep my apartment a little less cluttered too. I'll actually have a place to keep all of my paperwork. My computer desk can only hold so much stuff."

"That's true. I'm sure your mom would be more than happy to help you organize."

"I'm sure." Emily said. "Organization is her middle name. I've been considering hiring an assistant too. Spencer suggested it. But, she already told me I'm not allowed to hire any hot women." Emily laughed.

"You should probably listen to your girlfriend. Not just with this, but in general." Wayne chuckled. "The sooner you learn that, the easier your life will be. Especially married life, whenever that may be. Trust me. You know the old saying 'happy wife, happy life?' Well, no truer words have ever been said."

"I think that's some pretty solid advice." Emily snorted. "Thanks dad."

"How's work been going? It's okay?"

"Yep. Work's great. I've been keeping pretty busy. I just finished doing a bathroom remodel and some landscaping for Spencer's best friend's mom."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh. It turned out even better than I expected. My guys and I put in some new cabinets, some really nice granite counter tops, redid the flooring and put in all new tile in the shower. She loved it." Emily smiled. "Actually, I took some pictures for my portfolio..."

Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened her photos. She held the phone over to her father.

"Check these out." Emily began swiping through the photos of Ashley Marin's freshly remodeled bathroom.

"This looks fantastic, Emmy." Wayne said. "I can see why she loved it."

"Thanks. Oh here's a close up of the tile too. I really love the shade of blue she picked out. I think I'd probably pick something similar if I had my own house. Maybe some day."

"Probably sooner than you think." Wayne said. "The time just flies by."

Wayne watched as Emily swiped through a few more photos of the remodel. She swiped one more time, not realizing that she had reached the end of the remodel pictures and the next photo was one of Spencer, wearing nothing more than a pair of tiny black lace panties and a matching bra. Emily had forgotten that she had the picture. Spencer had sent it the evening Emily and her crew finished work on Ashley's bathroom. Emily had returned home exhausted after working late to finish the remodel. Since she and Spencer hadn't had a chance to see each other at all that day, Spencer decided to send Emily a few pictures.

"Oh shit." Emily muttered and quickly swiped backward, though Wayne had already seen the picture on the screen. "You weren't supposed to see that one. That was for me." Emily said, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. "Just forget you saw it."

"Already forgotten." Wayne said. "But, I guess that answers my next question. Things are going well between you and Spencer?" He laughed and gently elbowed his daughter.

Emily blushed a deep shade of red. She felt a sensation of heat creep over her neck and cheeks as she tightly squeezed her eyes closed.

"Yeah. Everything's going well, really well, actually." She nodded. "Did mom tell you to ask me?"

"She didn't." Wayne shook his head. "But, of course she's curious too."

"She asks me just about every time she calls or texts." Emily laughed. "And I always tell her the same thing. Things are good between Spencer and I."

"I know sometimes it's probably annoying when your mom always asks about your relationship. Try to be patient with her. She's not trying to pry into your personal life, she just wants to make sure that you're happy. It's been tough having you so far away, she just likes to check in on everything."

"I know. It's not easy for me living half way across the country either. I miss you guys every day."

"We miss you too." Wayne reached over and patted Emily's knee. "So tell me, what else have you been up to besides work?"

"Well, Spencer's graduating next week so I've been working on her graduation present."

"Are you building her something?"

"Yeah. A while ago she asked me if I'd build her a bookcase. I said I would, but I'm pretty sure she thinks I forgot about it, so I'm gonna surprise her. I installed a lazy Susan in it, so it can rotate three hundred sixty degrees. And it has different sized shelves staggered all around. I started building it the other day, so it shouldn't take me much longer."

"That's a great idea. And pretty unique, I'm sure she'll love it."

"Thanks. I wanted to do something special for her. She's always reading something. Novels, plays, essays by poets and philosophers. Some I'm never even heard of. She's probably read more books this year than I have my whole life." Emily laughed. "So I'm working on using my wood burning pen to burn some of her favorite quotes onto the surface of some of the shelves. I made some stencils using this really nice script lettering. I wrote her name on one of the shelves too. I worked on that one earlier this morning. I've actually got it in the truck. Let me go grab it."

Emily stood up and walked outside to her truck. She opened the back door and took a small piece of wood from underneath the seat. She then walked back into the building and handed the soon-to-be shelf of the bookcase to her father.

"I still have to stain all of the wood, but what do you think? That one I decided to free hand instead of making a stencil because I wanted it to be in my own handwriting."

"I think it looks great." Wayne said, running his fingers over the letters burned into the surface of the wood, which read 'Spencer J. Hastings.' He also noticed that in the corner at one of the shelf's edges, in small lettering, there was a date burned into the wood as well. The date was from late August, nearly nine months ago. "What's the date here mean?" Wayne asked.

"It's the date that Spencer and I met. It wasn't until over a month later that we actually started dating, but that was the first day I ever saw her. We didn't even speak more than a few words to each other that afternoon, but I'll always remember that day."

"I think she'll really love that." Wayne stood up and placed his hand on Emily's shoulder as he looked her in the eyes. "I think she'll definitely appreciate the amount of thought and effort you put into this gift."

"Thanks, dad."

* * *

That afternoon Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment. She pulled her keys from her pocket, unlocked the door and walked inside. Upon stepping inside the apartment, Spencer's nostrils we're immediately bombarded by the scent of something cooking in the oven.

"Hi Spencer." Pam said, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. "It's nice to see you."

"Hi, Missus Fields. It's nice to see you too. How are you doing?"

"I'm just fine. How are you, sweetheart?"

"Good. I hope you don't mind me letting myself in. Emily gave me a key."

"I don't mind at all. But, Emily's not here right now. She and her dad went to set up her new office furniture."

"Oh yeah. She did tell me that they were gonna try to do that today. Have you seen her office yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to go see it when they finished putting all the furniture together. I've been cooking and straightening up around here most of the afternoon."

"I'm sure they've gotten almost everything set up by now. I can drive us down there if you want to."

"Sure. We can go as soon as my roast is done. It shouldn't be too much longer."

"It smells fantastic."

"Thank you. Are you joining us for dinner tonight?"

"Emily invited me to. I mean, if you don't mind. I understand if you want Emily all to yourself. I know you and Mister Fields don't get to see her that often..."

"Of course we don't mind. We'd absolutely love to have you." Pam said, sincerely. "But, in the mean time, how about a snack? You must be hungry after school. I made brownies for after dinner, but I don't think a couple will spoil your appetite."

"Brownies sound awesome. I love one. Thanks."

"Sit down at the table. You aren't allergic to peanut butter, are you?"

"Nope. I love peanut butter."

"Good. I made a nice peanut butter frosting. I hope you like it."

Spencer pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down, waiting patiently as Pam cut two brownies from the pan. Pam placed the brownies onto a small plate and set it down in front of Spencer.

"Would you like some milk, honey?" Pam asked.

"Sure." Spencer nodded. "I love milk."

"It's good for you." Pam said, opening the refrigerator. "Emily used to drink about three or four glasses a day when she was younger. I had to buy a new gallon just about every time I went to the grocery store."

Pam poured some milk into a tall glass and set it down on the table next to Spencer.

"That must be why she grew up to be so strong." Spencer laughed.

"Could be." Pam chuckled as she sat down at the table. "How was school today?"

"It was okay. I have two huge finals coming up on Wednesday that I've been studying like crazy for, so I'm a little nervous about that."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"I hope so. I really just wanna get these tests over with so I can graduate." Spencer said, before taking a bite of the brownie in her hand. "These brownies are amazing. I think these are the best I've ever had."

"Thank you. You're too sweet." Pam smiled. "So are you going to be taking any classes at U Penn over the summer again?"

Spencer chewed a few times and swallowed before attempting to answer Pam's question.

"I'm gonna take two classes. That's what I did last summer. That way I won't burn myself out with school work, but I'll still be able to get ahead."

"That's a good idea. You should leave yourself some time for fun things. And speaking of fun things, Emily said you two had a nice time at the prom."

"It was so much fun. Emily was the perfect date. I couldn't have asked for a better evening."

"You two looked so cute together. The pictures Emily posted on Facebook were adorable."

"Emily uploaded them to Facebook?"

"You didn't see?" Pam asked, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. "She even changed her profile picture to one of you two."

Pam pulled up the website on her phone and showed Spencer. Emily had updated her profile picture earlier that morning to a picture of she and Spencer standing together at the prom. Emily had one hand around the small of Spencer's back as they both smiled at the camera. As Spencer glanced at the photo, her eyes skimmed below the photo to a comment from someone who she didn't recognize, she could tell from the small picture in the corner that the person appeared to be an older woman, but she was unable to make out any details. Spencer looked over the comment which read:

What a cute couple! When are you going to introduce me to your adorable girlfriend!?

Spencer then read the next comment, which was from Emily:

Soon I hope, grandma! I can't wait for you to meet Spencer. I'm crazy about her.

Well don't wait too long. Bring her to Arizona. Your grandpa and I would love to have you two for a visit.

Spencer smirked to herself. Emily's grandmother hadn't even met her yet and already she seemed to like her. Spencer was snapped out of her thoughts when the timer on Pam's phone began going off.

"My roast should be done." Pam turned off the timer and stood up. "I'll just put everything away while you finish your snack and we can head down to Emily's office."

Once Spencer had finished her food and Pam had put the roast into the refrigerator, she and Spencer got into Spencer's Mercedes SUV and headed to Philadelphia to see Emily's newly furnished office.

* * *

"You two must have been pretty hard at work all day." Pam said, her eyes shifting from the furnished room to her husband and daughter.

"It didn't take too long." Wayne said. "But, we did work pretty hard."

"Yeah, with dad's help everything got done twice as fast. Saved me a lot of time."

"Well, you both did a wonderful job. Everything looks great." Pam said, proudly. "I think this place is perfect for you, Em. And it seems like it's in a nice location too. You should get a lot of exposure."

"I hope so. I finally feel like my business is official now." Emily said. "I mean I still have plenty of little things to do here to get ready, before I meet with any potential clients or anything, but everything's coming together."

"And I can't think of anyone who deserves this more then you do." Spencer said, slipping her arm around Emily's waist.

"Thanks, Spence." Emily smiled and leaned down. She gently pressed her lips to Spencer's forehead. "And thanks for helping me find this place."

"I hope you and your dad worked up an appetite because I have a big, juicy pot roast ready and waiting back at your apartment."

"Awesome. I could definitely eat." Emily said. "I'll just gather up my tools and we can head home."

"I'll toss these bag of cardboard into your truck and we can get rid of them." Wayne said.

"Thanks. We have cardboard recycling at my apartment complex." Emily said. "We can just drop it in the bin when we get home."

"Perfect. We'll meet you outside." Wayne picked up two trash bags filled with broken down cardboard boxes from the furniture and headed outside with his wife.

"This desk is perfect in here." Spencer said. "We picked a good one."

"We sure did." Emily said as she placed her hands around Spencer's waist and lifted her up onto the corner of the desk.

"You sure this is sturdy enough for me to be sitting on?" Spencer asked, staring up at Emily.

"Are you kidding? Of course it is. I built it, didn't I?" Emily said, just before pressing her lips to Spencer's.

"I know, babe. I was just teasing you." Spencer slipped her hands into the back pockets of Emily's jeans and pulled her closer, their lips meeting again.

As they kissed, Emily took a step closer, spreading Spencer's knees apart as she inched her way in between Spencer's legs. Spencer slid her hands up Emily's back and shoulders, finally planting them on either side of the architect's face. Spencer wrapped her legs tightly around the back of Emily's thighs, crossing her legs at the ankles. A small moan escaped Spencer's lips and she closed her eyes when she felt Emily's tongue slip inside her mouth. After a few seconds, Emily broke the kiss and pressed her lips to Spencer's neck. Spencer slipped her hands into Emily's hair and leaned her head back as she felt Emily's lips connect with her throat.

"Em." Spencer groaned and shifted on the desk, now feeling herself intensely aroused. "We've gotta stop." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's chest, gently pushing her back. "Your parents are waiting for us right outside."

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm still horny." Emily's voice was low and husky.

"It's not like we can do it right here." Spencer said, trying her best to be rational, though it certainly wasn't easy, with Emily's breath hot on her cheek and her body in between her thighs.

"Yeah. But, if two minutes of making out is all I can get right now, I'll take it."

"You know, I'm beginning to think there might be some truth to those old construction worker stereotypes. You're such a horn dog." Spencer laughed.

"I'm not that bad. But, you know you love it. Don't pretend like you don't." Emily said, she leaned down and pressed her lips to Spencer's neck, at the sensitive spot, just behind her ear.

"Damn it. You know it drives me absolutely crazy when you kiss me there." Spencer moaned. "Shit."

"Your point is?" Emily mumbled into Spencer's neck, her lips forming a small smirk against her girlfriend's skin as her hands slid up Spencer's back.

"Okay, we really have to stop." Spencer hesitantly placed her hand on Emily's chest and gently pushed her back once again, causing her girlfriend's lips to break contact with her neck. "I don't want to, but pretty soon, I'm not gonna physically be able to stop."

"Okay. Okay." Emily groaned.

Once Spencer released her legs from around Emily's body, Emily took a step back so that Spencer could get off of the desk. Emily picked up the few tools that were still on the floor and tossed them into her toolbox. She then closed the lid and picked up the toolbox. Spencer waited for Emily to exit the room first and followed her girlfriend out.

"Oh. Hey, Em..."

"Yeah?" Emily glanced back over her shoulder to look at her girlfriend.

"When I said we couldn't do it, I meant not right this moment. Just so we're clear, you are gonna fuck me on that desk."

"I...you...got it." Emily said, her knees slightly buckling at her girlfriend's demand.

"I'm glad you understand. You're sexy when you're obedient." Spencer said, punctuating her sentence with a playful slap to her girlfriend's backside.

 

 


	97. Chapter 97

"Emily honey, can you please set the table for me?" Pam asked. "We'll be ready to eat in a few minutes."

"Yep. I can do that." Emily stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Emily gathered up some plates and silverware and began to set them out on her small dining room table. It was just a moment later that Emily was surprised by the sound of a knock at the door.

"I wonder who that is?" Emily said as she walked over to the door.

When Emily opened the door she found Gwen standing on the other side.

"Hey Gwen. Come on in."

"Hi, Spencer." Gwen said, noticing the brunette sitting on the couch.

"Hey." Spencer smiled.

"That's my dad." Emily said pointing over to her father who was sitting next to Spencer. "I don't think you guys have met before."

"No, we haven't. I'm Gwen, I live next door. It's nice to meet you, Mister Fields." Gwen said, extending her hand to Emily's father.

"It's nice to meet you too." Wayne stood up and shook Gwen's hand.

"So what can I do for ya?" Emily asked. "Your cat didn't knock any more of your jewelry down the sink drain, did she?"

"No. Not this time. Thankfully. The mailman mixed up some of your mail with mine. I just wanted to give it to you."

Gwen handed an envelope over to Emily.

"My cable bill. Thanks a lot." Emily laughed.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news." Gwen chuckled.

Pam then walked out of the kitchen.

"Hi, Gwen. How are you, sweetheart?" Pam said.

"I'm doing pretty well. How about you?"

"I'm fine. It's nice to see you again."

"You too."

"Would you like to join us for dinner? I made plenty of food."

"That sounds great, but I can't. I'm actually heading in to work for a few hours. I can't pass up the overtime."

"Well, at least let me give you something to take with you. You'll get a dinner break at some point this evening, won't you?"

"I will and that's really nice of you, but you don't have to do that."

"Nonsense. Just let me get you a little something here."

"Well, I mean if you insist. Thank you very much."

"Em, you do have plastic food containers, don't you?" Pam asked.

"Yeah. There are some on the top shelf in the far right cabinet."

Once Pam had packed up the food she placed the containers into a plastic grocery bag and handed the bag to Gwen.

"Here you go, honey. I wrapped up a couple of dinner rolls for you too." Pam said. "I hope you like it."

"Thank you very much, Missus Fields. Everything smells great."

"You're welcome. Have a good night at work."

"Thank you. I'll see you all later."

"Let me walk you out." Emily said walking toward the door.

"It was nice meeting you, Mister Fields." Gwen said.

"You too. Take care." Wayne smiled.

"See ya." Spencer waved to Gwen.

"Bye."

Emily opened the door and followed Gwen outside. Emily then closed the door behind her and looked over at Gwen.

"Hey, I'm sorry my mom is...a little pushy." Emily said. "But, thanks for being so nice. I appreciate it."

"I'd say she's the nice one. She just gave me a ton of awesome food. Now, I won't have to eat junk for dinner."

"I guess that's a plus."

"Your mom's persistent. You might not always see it as being a good thing, but she really cares about people."

"That's true." Emily nodded. "She is a people person."

"Mm hm. Just like you are." Gwen smiled, gently poking Emily in the stomach with her index finger. "And by the way, I still think your mom's just as sweet and adorable as she was the first time I met her when she tried to hook me up with you." Gwen laughed.

"God. That was so embarrassing. She did the same thing with Spencer too." Emily shook her head. "Just basically hit on her for me. I was pretty much humiliated. I could barely even look Spencer in the eyes."

"Your mom was never trying to embarrass you though. She just wants you to be happy. My mom has tried to hook me up with a few of her friends' sons and stuff before." Gwen snorted, recalling a few of her own embarrassing memories. "Yeah, it was a little awkward, but she meant well. So did your mom. I'm sure she could tell that Spencer's a really nice girl and a great match for you, by the way. You're lucky. Both your mom and girlfriend adore you and rightfully so."

"Thanks, Gwen."

"You're welcome. I gotta head to work, but please thank your mom again for dinner. I'll see you later."

"Okay. See ya."

When Emily returned back inside her apartment she found that Wayne and Spencer were already seated at the table while Pam filled the plates on the table with mountains of food.

"Does Gwen still live alone, Em?" Pam asked, looking up at her daughter.

"Yeah. She does."

"I hope you check in with her as much as possible. I don't really like the idea of young girls living by themselves."

"I do check in with her frequently. And I've told her to just give me a call anytime she needs something. But, I live by myself and that's never bothered you."

"You're a little different though." Wayne said. "We still worry, but I know you'll be fine. You can take care of yourself. I'm the one who taught you self-defense."

"Well, I know that I never worry when I'm with Em." Spencer glanced up at her girlfriend, giving her a soft smile. "I always feel absolutely safe."

"Good. I'm glad you do." Emily placed her hands on the back of Spencer's chair and leaned down, placing a kiss to the top of the brunette's head.

Emily then sat down next to Spencer at the table. Once everyone's plate was full, Pam took the remaining empty seat.

"Everything looks and smells great, hun." Wayne said.

"Thank you. Emily sweetie, do you want to say a blessing?" Pam asked.

"Sure thing, mom."

Emily bowed her head and closed her eyes as everyone else followed suit. Once she had finished speaking, everyone said their "Amens" and picked up their silverware.

"So Spencer, when's graduation?" Wayne asked. "It must be coming up pretty soon."

"It is. It's next Tuesday, actually. Speaking of graduation, you can still come, right Em?"

"Of course. You're the valedictorian and I'm so proud of you. I wouldn't miss your graduation for anything."

"Great. And I don't know if you guys are still gonna be in town or not..." Spencer looked over at Pam and then to Wayne. "But, I have some extra tickets if you'd want to come. I mean I know high school graduations aren't exactly fun to sit through-"

"Honey. We'd love to come." Pam said sincerely.

"Absolutely." Wayne agreed. "I'm honored to be invited by the valedictorian herself. How could I pass up that invitation?"

"Thanks." Spencer smiled brightly. "And my parents are hosting a cocktail party at our house for some friends and family, so if you'd like to come back to our house after the ceremony, we'd love to have you."

"That sounds lovely." Pam said.

"Your Nana's coming up, isn't she?" Emily asked.

"Yep. She's coming up this weekend."

"Cool. It'll be nice to see her again."

"Yeah. I bet you can't wait. She thinks you're the cutest thing ever." Spencer laughed. "Don't tell Melissa, but I think nana likes you even better than she likes Wren."

Emily smiled to herself as she felt Spencer's foot gently rub up and down her shin, over top of her jeans.

"Your nana's super nice. She has this awesome way of making you feel really good about yourself."

Spencer then turned to Pam.

"My Nana, that's my dad's mom, she absolutely loves Emily." Spencer said stabbing a chunk of meat with her fork.

"I like her already." Pam smiled. "I look forward to meeting her."

"So Emmy, I wanted to ask you, do you ever get to see your cousin Josh and his family?"

"Sometimes. I'll usually see them at church on Sunday if I go to early mass. And every once in a while we'll go out to breakfast afterward. I wish I got to see Lilly more though. She's growing up so fast."

"Lilly's the adorable little girl who basically attached herself to you at that youth group meeting I helped you with before we started dating, right?" Spencer asked.

"That's her." Emily nodded. "She's such a cutie."

"You should offer to babysit sometime." Pam said. "You'll get to spend some time with Lilly and I'm sure Josh and Amanda could use an evening alone together."

"That's a good idea." Spencer agreed. "I'd even help you babysit."

"You would?"

"Sure. I might not have a ton of experience with kids, but I like them. And I'd love to help."

"Well, in that case, I'll offer to babysit the next time I see Josh."

* * *

It was early evening on Thursday when Emily pulled her car into the Hastings' driveway. Emily walked up the front porch steps and knocked on the door. After only a few moments, Peter answered.

"Hi, Emily." Peter said. "Come on in."

"Thanks. Spencer's not home yet, is she?" Emily asked. "Her car isn't here."

"No, she's not. She should be in a few minutes though."

"Good. I finished building her bookcase and I don't think I can wait until next week to give it to her. Would it be okay if I took it up to her room so I can surprise her when she gets home?"

"Of course." Peter nodded. "I'll help you carry it upstairs."

"Thanks a lot. I appreciate that."

"What do you have there?" Peter asked, noticing the book that Emily was holding in her hand.

"I got this for Spencer." Emily held the book out.

The book was a large leather-bound copy of Shakespeare's tragedy of Macbeth. The title of the play and Shakespeare's name were embossed in glittering gold letters in an Old English style font. The book's cover also displayed an intricate patterned border surrounding the perimeter of both the front and back covers.

"I wanted to put the first book in her new bookcase." Emily said. "I found this at a tiny hole-in-the-wall specialty book shop just outside of Newark." Emily ran her fingers over the lettering on the front cover. "I thought Spencer would like it."

"You went all the way to Jersey?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. I mean it's not that far. Only a couple of hours. I looked everywhere online and I just couldn't find anything that really stood out to me. So I figured I'd try going to some specialty book stores. I came across a few reviews about this shop near Newark and they said that it carries a lot of rare and antique books, so I thought I'd take a drive up there and check it out. The owner was this really sweet old lady. I told her how much Spencer loves Shakespeare and she asked if she liked Macbeth and I told her it was her favorite play and she showed me the perfect thing."

"If I know my daughter, I know that she will definitely love that." Peter smiled.

"I hope so. It was exactly what I was looking for, even though I had no idea what I was looking for when I went in." Emily laughed.

"It's funny how these things work out, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It really is." Emily nodded.

"Come on, let's go get the book case upstairs before Spencer gets home." Peter said as he began walking toward the back door. "You and your parents are still planning on coming out for dinner with us tonight, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. We're all looking forward to it. Thanks for inviting us."

"You're welcome. I'm looking forward to it myself."

When they reached the garage, Emily walked over to the book case which was currently covered with a large drop cloth. She pulled the cloth off to reveal the finished bookcase.

"Well…what do you think?" Emily asked.

Emily stood silently fiddling with the cloth she was still holding in her hands as she tried to gauge Peter's reaction. Peter then stepped forward to get a better look.

"Emily, this is beautiful." Peter said, spinning the shelf the whole way around as he admired the meticulous craftsmanship. "I'm impressed. Spencer will absolutely love it."

"I hope she does. I worked really hard on it to make it perfect."

"Your hard work and skill definitely show."

"Thank you very much." Emily smiled, sweeping her hand over the top of the bookcase. "This shouldn't be too heavy. If you want to take one end, I'll grab the other."

Emily placed the book she was still holding on one of the shelves. Peter then leaned the top of the bookcase toward himself as Emily bent down and picked up the bottom end. They slowly and very carefully carried the piece into the house. When they reached the staircase, Emily and Peter gingerly made their way up each stair until they reached the top.

"Do you need to put it down or are you good?" Emily asked.

"You might be half my age, kid, but I can handle it just fine. Don't you worry about me." Peter laughed. "Do you need a break?"

"Nope. I'm all right." Emily adjusted the weight of the bookcase in her hands to a more comfortable position as they made their way down the hall to Spencer's bedroom.

Once they reached the bedroom, they gently set the bookcase down in the corner of the room.

"Looks pretty good in here if you ask me." Peter said.

A moment later, Emily and Peter heard a car pulling in the driveway. Peter walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, noticing that Spencer was stepping out of her car.

"Spencer's home." Peter said. "We better get back downstairs."

Emily took the copy of Macbeth from the book shelf and slipped it underneath the pillow that was sitting on the chaise near the window. She then walked out of the room and quickly made her way down the staircase with Peter following closely behind. They returned to the kitchen just as Spencer walked in the front door.

"Hi, dad. Hi, Em. What are you doing here?" Spencer looked up at her girlfriend as she set her bag down on the kitchen island.

"You're not happy to see me?" Emily joked.

"Of course I am." Spencer laughed and playfully pushed Emily's shoulder. "I'm just surprised. I assumed you'd be doing something with your parents."

"Well, I was...we were uh-"

"I called her over." Peter said. "The air conditioning went out in my office. It was so stuffy in there, I couldn't stand it, so I asked Emily to take a look."

"Oh. Did you get it fixed?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah." Emily nodded, looking over at Peter. "Just a clogged filter. No big deal."

"Spence, since she's here, why don't you take Emily upstairs and-"

"Okay." Spencer grinned. "Don't have to tell me twice." She grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her toward the stairs.

"Hold it." Peter said. "I was going to say, have her help you pick out something nice to wear to dinner tonight, but the bedroom door stays open. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Emily nodded.

"Fine." Spencer groaned and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Em."

When they got up to the bedroom, Spencer's eyes were immediately drawn to the new bookcase in the room.

"What's this?" Spencer walked over to the bookcase to get a better look. "Did you build this?" Spencer turned around to face her girlfriend. "For me?"

"Sure did. I know you don't graduate until next week, but I finished it and wanted to give you your graduation gift a little early. You thought I forgot about you asking me to build you a bookcase, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I honestly thought you did. But, I know you've been busy, I didn't wanna bug you about it. When did you even have time to do this?"

"You are in school for eight hours a day, five days a week, remember?" Emily chuckled. "That gave me plenty of free time. It didn't take me too long."

"Yeah, but I thought you said you've been working on that landscaping job for that family in Philly."

"That's the beauty of owning the business. I can send my guys over to do the work when I have other things that I've gotta do."

"I guess that is a pretty nice perk."

Spencer then gently ran her fingers over the shelf that had her name burned into it.

"It has my name and everything." Spencer said. "Emily. This is gorgeous. I love it so much. Thank you. This is so beautiful." Spencer wrapped her arms tightly around Emily and hugged her. "You're amazing."

"You're welcome, princess." Emily smiled. "Anything for you." She leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of Spencer's head.

"Do you know what this date is here?" Emily asked, pointing to the date on the shelf.

"Are you kidding? Of course I know. This is the day I met you. How could I ever forget that? And all of these quotes...they're great. How did you pick them out?"

"You always share those quote of the day picture things on Facebook. I just combed back through your posts and noted some of the good ones." Emily said.

"I didn't think you were ever on Facebook much." Spencer chuckled. "It took you forever to accept my friend request when I sent it."

"I don't post a lot, but I still browse my newsfeed. I remember when I first saw that you sent me a friend request, I was pretty excited and I really wanted to accept it as soon as I got it, but I forced myself to wait a couple of days because I was afraid I'd seem too anxious."

"Aw. You're too cute." Spencer said as she gently spun the bookcase around, admiring Emily's meticulous handiwork as she read all of the different quotes.

"Can I tell you my favorite quote that I put on here?"

"Sure." Spencer smiled. "What is it?"

"Beauty awakens the soul to act."

"Dante." Spencer said, instantly recognizing the quote of the famous Italian poet.

"Mm hmm." Emily nodded. "This one stuck out to me because when I read it, it immediately made me think about you."

"It did?" Spencer asked.

"Well, yeah. I've told you before that I never wanted to fall in love again, but after I met you...you're just so beautiful both physically and emotionally...I don't wanna get all mushy here, but you really changed my life and my outlook on relationships. You made me want to act on my feelings and actually want to pursue a real relationship again, even if it was tough for me to accept my feelings and open up to you."

"I'm so happy that I could do that for you." Spencer smiled and wrapped her arms around Emily again, burying her face into the architect's chest.

"Me too. You have no idea. I love you with all of my heart, Spence." Emily gently ran her hand up and down Spencer's back. "But...anyway that's enough about Dante, let's talk about Shakespeare for a minute."

"What about Shakespeare?" Spencer asked curiously.

"Well, I wanted to give you the first book for your new bookcase..."

Spencer watched as Emily walked over to the chaise and pulled out the leather bound book that she had stashed underneath the pillow just a few minutes earlier.

"So I got you something." Emily handed the book to her girlfriend.

"Macbeth. It's my favorite Shakespeare play. This is awesome." Spencer said, running her fingertips over the golden embossed letters on the cover. "Thank you."

"Open it up."

Spencer opened the cover of the book and noticed that placed inside there was a plain white envelope. Now extremely curious, Spencer opened the envelope to find two tickets to a one night only, late June production of Macbeth in New York City.

"Oh My God." Spencer said, staring at the tickets in disbelief. "This production's been sold out for months. How did you get these?" Spencer stared up at Emily. "My dad tried for weeks and still couldn't get these for me."

"Not easily, but I eventually got them. I just got lucky enough to know someone who knows someone who knows someone. That kind of thing. I figured it would be a long shot, but I know a lot of people. I just kept making calls and somehow it worked out."

Spencer set the book and tickets on the bookcase and practically jumped into Emily's arms, wrapping her arms around the architect's neck.

"You've gotta be the best girlfriend ever. Actually, I take that back. I know for a fact that you're the best girlfriend ever." She squeezed Emily tight. "Thank you so much. I absolutely love everything. It's all perfect."

"You're welcome. You deserve it." Emily said, before placing a kiss to Spencer's forehead. "I was also thinking I'd like to take you out to a really nice dinner before we go to the theater. So, let's plan on getting to New York early that night."

"That would be fantastic. You know how much I love dressing you up and showing you off." Spencer smiled.

"Oh not nearly as much as I love showing you off." Emily said. "And maybe before we go we could read the play together so I'll at least have some idea of what's going on?"

"You've never read it? Ever?"

"I mean we were supposed to read it in high school, but I only read the Cliffs Notes summary. I was never really that great with understanding Shakespeare. British Lit was definitely not my strong point."

"Shakespeare can be tough, but I'd love to read Macbeth with you." Spencer reached down and took Emily's hand.

"Great."

"You'll like seeing the play in person. It's so much easier to understand the language when you can see what the actors are doing at the same time."

"I hope so."

"Thank you again for the gifts. I absolutely love everything. I already have so many books I can fill my bookcase with."

"I knew you would." Emily laughed.

Spencer placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and kissed her. As they kissed, Emily closed her eyes and slipped her hands around Spencer's waist. It was only a few moments later that Emily opened her eyes and noticed Peter standing in the doorway. Emily quickly broke the kiss and cleared her throat as she took a step back from Spencer.

"How do you like your gift?" Peter asked.

"I love it. Emily's so talented." Spencer said, taking Emily's hand in her own.

"She sure is." Peter agreed.

"It was no big deal. Really." Emily said, shyly.

"Don't say that." Peter looked Emily in the eyes. "You worked hard to design and build a great gift. You should be proud of it."

"Thanks, Mister Hastings. And thanks again for letting me work in your garage."

"You're welcome, Emily. Anytime."


	98. Chapter 98

**A little later that evening, Emily rifled through her closet and pulled out a dark blue, button down shirt with white vertical stripes. She then walked out of her bedroom and into the living room with the shirt in her hand.**

**"Do you think this shirt will be all right for dinner?" Emily asked her mother.**

**"I think it'll be just fine." Pam said. "Let me iron it for you."**

**"I can do it."**

**"I'll take care of it, honey. Just go finish getting yourself ready."**

**"Thanks, mom. Spencer's gonna come by here in like half an hour to pick us up."**

**"Great. So, do you need any pants ironed?"**

**"No, they're fine."**

**"You are planning on wearing dress pants not jeans, aren't you?" Pam looked her daughter up and down.**

**"Yes, mom. Of course." Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna wear a blazer too."**

**"Okay. Just checking." Pam said.**

**When Spencer arrived at Emily's apartment, she knocked on the door and waited patiently instead of just letting herself in as she usually did. Emily quickly made her way through her apartment. Emily opened the door to find Spencer standing on the other side in a tastefully short, deep maroon colored dress.**

**"You look really beautiful tonight." Emily smiled. "I knew you would."**

**"Thanks." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her. "You're such a sweetie."**

**"Come on in." Emily said. "My parents are just finishing getting ready."**

**"Great." Spencer said, following Emily into the apartment.**

**"So, um do you like this shirt? Or do you think I should change?"**

**"No, I like it and I like the blazer too. You look adorable. Did your mom pick your outfit?" Spencer chuckled, playfully poking Emily in the stomach.**

**"No, believe it or not, I actually picked out my own clothes today." Emily laughed.**

**Spencer and Emily both sat down on the couch and waited for Pam and Wayne, but it was only a few minutes later that they emerged from Emily's bedroom.**

**"Hi Spencer." Pam said.**

**"Hi Missus Fields, Mister Fields. How are you?" Spencer asked.**

**"We're fine." Pam replied. "Are you girls ready to go?"**

**"Ready if you are." Spencer said, standing up.**

**"We've been looking forward to meeting your parents all week." Wayne added.**

**"I'm glad. Because they're really looking forward to meeting you guys too."**

**"Well, we should probably get going then, I don't want to be late." Pam said.**

**Pam and Wayne walked outside, followed by Spencer and Emily. When they got out to the car, Spencer handed Emily her keys.**

**"You wanna drive?"**

**"Sure. I can. If you want me to." Emily nodded.**

**"Good. I don't really like driving in heels. Especially these ones." Spencer looked down at her shiny, black spiked heels.**

**Emily then opened the passenger side door for Spencer and closed it once the brunette had gotten inside.**

**"Spencer, is your parents' country club far from here?" Wayne asked.**

**"Not at all. It's only about ten minutes away.**

* * *

**Once they arrived at the country club, Emily left Spencer's SUV with the valet and walked inside with her parents and girlfriend. They headed into the dining room, where Peter, Veronica, Melissa and Wren were already seated at the Hastings usual table. Upon noticing Spencer and the Fields family approaching the table, Peter stood up to greet them.**

**"Emily." Peter smiled. "I'm glad you all could make it. I'm Peter Hastings. Spencer's father." Peter extended his hand to Wayne.**

**"Wayne Fields." Wayne said as he shook Peter's hand. "And this is my wife, Pam."**

**"Nice to finally meet you." Peter said as he also shook Pam's hand. "This is my wife, Veronica, my daughter, Melissa and her husband, Wren."**

**Everyone then spent the next several moments exchanging friendly glances as well as hellos.**

**"Everyone please have a seat." Veronica said. "Thank you for joining us."**

**Emily pulled out Spencer's chair and waited for her to sit down. Once her girlfriend was seated, Emily sat down next to her.**

**"Thank you for inviting us." Pam said. "This seems like a lovely place."**

**"Just wait until you try the food." Peter said. "Are the two of you wine drinkers at all?"**

**"Sure. Occasionally." Pam nodded.**

**"Great. I'll see if I can flag down a waiter to bring us a couple of bottles of their best stuff. You'll love it."**

**When the waiter approached the table, he handed out menus to everyone and took drink orders, but not before Peter took the opportunity to request two bottles of his favorite, and not surprisingly, most expensive wine on the list.**

**"So Wayne, Spencer says you're in the military?" Peter said.**

**"I am." Wayne nodded. "I'm in the Army."**

**"Being in the Army must be a pretty tough career." Peter said. "Is that how you all ended up in Texas or are you from there originally?"**

**"No, Pam and I are actually both from Pennsylvania. Emily was in born in Philadelphia, but she was only about two when we made our first big move. I've been stationed all over the country and overseas since then until I was offered a permanent position at the Fort Hood base in Texas."**

**"I'm sure it's nice being able to stay in one place now." Veronica said. "Picking up and moving your whole life around so frequently can't be very easy."**

**"It sure isn't." Pam chimed in. "Especially when Emily was little. We'd just get settled in to a new town then get word that we'd be moving again. It's hard to adjust to that, but my dad was a Marine so that was always my life growing up. We've always managed just fine."**

**"Emily, did you decide to move to Pennsylvania for work since that's where your parents are from?" Melissa asked.**

**"Partly." Emily nodded. "I had some really great offers from potential clients in a couple of states, but ultimately I decided moving to Pennsylvania would be a little easier on me since I was somewhat familiar with the Philadelphia area from visiting family over the years. I didn't know Rosewood too well at all when I came here, but it was a lot less expensive finding an apartment in a suburb than in the city."**

**"Are you going to have time to visit any family while you're here?" Veronica asked, glancing over at Pam.**

**"We don't have many family members still living around here, but we're going to try to see the ones we do before we leave."**

**"How long are you two going to be in town?" Peter asked.**

**"We'll be here until the middle of next week." Pam said. "Wayne was able to get a few extra days off."**

**"I invited Mister and Missus Fields and Emily to my graduation on Tuesday." Spencer said.**

**"Great. I hope Spencer invited all of you to our cocktail party afterward." Veronica said.**

**"She did." Pam smiled. "And we'd love to come. It's sweet of you to invite us."**

**"We'd love to have you over." Veronica said.**

**"Absolutely." Peter agreed. "Did you know that Spencer is her class valedictorian? I figured that deserved some type of a celebration."**

**"Yes. Emily mentioned that. That's fantastic." Wayne smiled. "A celebration is definitely well-deserved for that kind of accomplishment."**

**"She's just following in her big sister's footsteps, right Spence?" Peter said.**

**"I guess I am." Spencer agreed.**

**"Spencer said she'll be going to U PENN in the fall. Is that where you graduated from also, Melissa?" Pam asked.**

**"I did." Melissa nodded. "I almost went out of state, but I'm so glad I didn't because Wren and I met at U PENN. I was stressed out studying for a huge test and I accidentally knocked over my coffee and spilled it everywhere. Wren immediately came over, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and helped me clean up the mess. Then he bought me a fresh cup of coffee and even helped me study for my test."**

**"That's so sweet." Pam smiled.**

**"I wouldn't have been much of a gentleman if I didn't help, besides it gave me a reason to talk to her. I remembered seeing Melissa a few times on campus, but I could never work up enough nerve to talk to her."**

**"I guess being completely stressed out and clumsy that day really paid off for me." Melissa laughed.**

**"How are you two liking being newlyweds?" Wayne asked.**

**"It's great." Melissa placed her hand on top of Wren's. "I couldn't ask for a better or more handsome husband."**

**"Or one with a more adorable accent." Pam said. "You're from England, aren't you?"**

**"I am." Wren nodded. "London, actually. I know it's pretty cliché, being English and from London." He laughed. "Everyone always assumes anyone from England is from London. But, I actually am."**

**"I know you're a doctor, but do you have a specialty?" Wayne asked, looking across the table at Wren.**

**"I'm working in the emergency department at the Rosewood Hospital. I don't know that I'll stick with emergency medicine for my whole career, but I'm enjoying it a lot, so I think I'll do that for a while and see how it goes."**

**"So, does anyone have any suggestions on what to order?" Wayne flipped to the next page of the menu, still trying to decide which meal to choose.**

**"I've tried about everything on the menu at least once over the years and I've never had a bad meal here." Peter said. "I'm sure just about anything will be good."**

**It was only a few moments later that the waiter approached the table again with the two bottles of wine that Peter had requested. The waiter uncorked the first bottle and slowly filled everyone's wine glasses, with the exception of Spencer's.**

**"Are you all ready to order or do you need a few more minutes to look over the menu?" The waiter asked.**

**"I think we'll still need a little more time." Veronica said, politely.**

**"Of course." He nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes."**

**Pam and Wayne both continued to flip through their menus while still simultaneously making polite conversation. Spencer reached under the table and placed her hand on Emily's thigh. As Emily reached for her wine glass, Spencer felt Emily's leg involuntarily being moving up and down very quickly, likely due to her being nervous, as she usually was whenever she spent time with Spencer's family. Sensing her girlfriend's nervousness, Spencer gently rubbed her hand up and down Emily's thigh, hoping to comfort her and ease her mind.**

**"How do you like the wine?" Peter asked, noticing Pam taking a sip from her glass.**

**"It's wonderful." Pam said. "Oh and Veronica, can I bring anything to your house on Tuesday?"**

**"Oh no, don't worry about it. Just yourself is fine. We'll take care of everything. We're just planning on something pretty informal. A few drinks, some hors d'oeuvres, a little dessert. That kind of thing."**

**"That's sounds fantastic. Just let me know if you change your mind and want me to bring something. I'd be more than happy to. Or to even help you set up. Whatever I can do."**

**"Thank you. That's really kind." Veronica said.**

**"I can't wait for you both to see all of the work Emily did on our house." Peter said.**

**"Yes. I'm in love with our new kitchen." Veronica added. "Even if I don't cook as much as I'd like to. It's still beautiful."**

**"It really is." Melissa agreed. "Emily's definitely talented. Spencer showed me the book case Emily just built for her and it's awesome."**

**"I love it so much." Spencer smiled. "It's perfect."**

**"It wasn't that big of a deal." Emily shrugged shyly and reached for her wine glass again. "I just really like building things."**

**"That's why you're so good at your job." Spencer said, lacing her fingers with Emily's, underneath the table.**

* * *

**Spencer stood in front of one of the country club's large bathroom mirrors, fixing her hair while Melissa stood next to her, applying a fresh coat of gloss to her lips.**

**"Emily's parents seem really nice." Melissa said, glancing over at her younger sister.**

**"Oh yeah. They're so sweet. You can definitely see where Emily's personality comes from."**

**"For sure. And she looks so much like her mom. I mean, she's built exactly like her dad, but looks like her mom."**

**"Mm hm." Spencer nodded.**

**"Em seems a little uneasy tonight though." Melissa said. "Is everything okay with you guys?"**

**"We're fine. I think mom and dad still make her nervous. She just wants her parents to get along with ours."**

**"I can understand that. Mom and dad can be kind of scary. Especially dad. It took Wren a long time before he could relax around him."**

**"Yeah. But, if she managed to survive grandma's inquisition at your rehearsal dinner, so I think she'll be fine."**

**"Grandma was rude to her?"**

**"I don't know if I'd say rude, exactly. Grandma was…grandma."**

**"So a little overbearing, super critical, and probably even borderline offensive?"**

**"Basically. Grandma grilled her pretty hard, but Emily took it well though. I think grandma liked her."**

**"That's good. She survived the hell dad put her through when he first found out you guys were together, so I think she'll probably be able to handle just about anything. She's pretty tough."**

**"She is." Spencer nodded. "I'm actually impressed with dad tonight. He's been really nice and even charming with Emily's parents. Is it weird that I'm kinda proud of him?"**

**"No. Because I thought the exact same thing." Melissa laughed. "Mom's usually polite in social settings, but dad can be a little more abrasive. He's unpredictable sometimes."**

* * *

**Later that night.**

**Emily and Spencer were sitting on the couch in Emily's apartment relaxing and watching TV.**

**"Em, your dad and I are going to bed." Pam said, walking out of the bedroom.**

**"Okay." Emily nodded.**

**"Spencer, when you get home, please thank your parents again for a lovely evening. Wayne and I had a very nice time."**

**"I will. Thanks for coming. I'm glad you guys got to meet my parents."**

**"So am I. Goodnight girls."**

**"Goodnight." Spencer and Emily both said in unison.**

**Pam then left the room and closed the bedroom door behind her.**

**"Tonight went really well, didn't it?" Spencer said as she moved over on the couch and swung her legs up into Emily's lap.**

**"It went great. Our parents really seemed to like each other." Emily said as she took Spencer's foot in her hand and gently began massaging it.**

**"That feels amazing."**

**"I'm good for a lot more than just building stuff, you know."**

**"That's for sure. And I didn't even have to ask for a foot rub which makes you the best girlfriend ever."**

**"Well, you shouldn't have to ask. I mean, I want you to feel free to ask me if there's something you want, but you shouldn't always have to."**

**"You're the literally the sweetest girlfriend. I also wanted to say, thank you again for my gifts this afternoon. I love all of them. And I love you."**

**"I love you too. And you're welcome. I'm glad you like everything." Emily leaned over and kissed Spencer. "So...you wanna stay over tonight? I know my parents have my bed, but you can sleep on the couch, I can sleep on the floor. Or I can sleep on the couch and you can just sleep on top of me."**

**"I wouldn't mind that at all." Spencer laughed. "But, I don't think your mom would really like me staying over, not to mention sleeping on top of you."**

**Emily nodded, slightly disappointed.**

**"Oh don't pout." Spencer chuckled. She sat up and changed her position, so that she was now sitting next to her girlfriend. "By the time your parents go back home, I'll be on summer vacation." Spencer ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "We're gonna have a lot of fun together then." Spencer said before kissing Emily.**

**Emily placed her hand on Spencer cheek as she slipped her tongue into the brunette's mouth. Spencer closed her eyes as she felt Emily's tongue explore the inside of her mouth. Spencer moaned softly when she felt Emily break the kiss and slowly begin kissing her neck. Emily leaned Spencer back against the arm of the couch as she pressed her body hard against the brunette's. A sudden jolt of arousal shot through Spencer's body as she felt one of Emily's hands slowly sliding underneath her dress and up her thigh.**

**"Em. Stop." Spencer breathed out heavily.**

**"O...okay..." Emily immediately stopped and removed her hand from underneath her girlfriend's dress, a little surprised by Spencer's reaction.**

**"Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to, babe. But we can't with your parents here." Spencer said, softly.**

**"We did it at my house in Texas..." Emily said.**

**"Yeah, but then your parents were all the way upstairs. Right now they're literally just in the next room. There's no way they won't hear us."**

**"I can be quiet." Emily laughed as she placed another kiss to Spencer's lips.**

**"Maybe you can. But I sure can't guarantee that I'll be able to." Spencer smiled and flicked the tip of Emily's nose with her index finger.**

**Emily couldn't help but smirk to herself.**

**"I should probably head home anyway." Spencer said. "Will you walk me out?"**

**"Yeah. Of course I will." Emily said as she got up off of the couch. "Let me get your shoes."**

**Emily walked over to the door and picked up Spencer's heels. She then set the shoes down in front of her girlfriend.**

**"Thank you." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's shoulder for balance as she slipped her left shoe on, then her right.**

**Emily placed her hand on the small of Spencer's back as she followed her outside. They walked across the parking lot, which was only dimly illuminated by the soft glow of the overhead lights. Once they reached Spencer's SUV, Emily placed her hands on her girlfriend's hips and leaned down to kiss her goodnight. Spencer leaned into Emily's body, pressing the architect's back hard against the side of the car. Emily's eyes fluttered closed and she fought back a moan, desperately trying to keep her arousal in check when she felt Spencer's hand slide down past her belt buckle and in between her thighs. Spencer smirked into the kiss as she used her hand to gently cup Emily through her pants.**

**"Hey, Em?" Spencer mumbled against the architect's lips.**

**"Ye...yeah...?" Emily choked out, now immensely aroused.**

**"How do you feel about car sex?"**

**Emily pulled back and looked at her girlfriend, trying to gauge whether or not she was serious. "You mean like right now?" She asked, excitedly. "I really hope you're not just teasing me."**

**"Oh I'm gonna tease you, just in the best possible way. I'm into it if you are." Spencer bit her lip and locked eyes with Emily as she began hurriedly undoing the buttons on the architect's shirt.**

**"I'm absolutely into it." Emily said, untucking her shirt from her pants. "Do you think you really even have to ask?"**

**"In that case, I'm not asking. I'm telling. Get in the car. Now." Spencer quickly pulled open the back driver's side door and all but shoved Emily inside.**

**Spencer removed her heels and tossed them into the front seat of the car before climbing into the back and straddling the architect's lap. Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and smashed her lips to her girlfriend's. As they kissed, Emily planted her hands on the small of Spencer's back and slipped her tongue into her girlfriend's mouth. Emily's hands groped around, searching for the zipper on Spencer's dress. Once she found it, Emily hurriedly pulled the zipper down and pushed the straps of the dress down Spencer's shoulders, exposing her breasts. Though the interior of the car was dark, Emily could tell that Spencer hadn't worn a bra and Emily found herself more than excited about it. Emily's hands almost instinctively snaked up Spencer's chest. Emily gently fondled Spencer's breasts in her hands, almost instantly feeling the brunette's nipples stiffen against her palms.**

**"Em." Spencer moaned, arching her back into Emily's touch.**

**"Does this seat go back at all?" Emily mumbled into the kiss, feeling her knees pressed tightly against the center console in front of her.**

**"You're so damn tall." Spencer laughed as her lips wandered all over Emily's jawline.**

**"Sorry." Emily snorted, her lips finding Spencer's again.**

**"That wasn't a complaint." Spencer groaned into the kiss. "There's a lever...on the side of the seat...it should slide back."**

**With Spencer still straddling her lap, Emily removed her hands from Spencer's breasts, leaned over and pulled on the lever, she forced the majority of her body weight back against the seat until she and Spencer felt it slide backward and click into place.**

**"You good?"**

**"Yeah. That's a lot better." Emily groaned as she once again slipped her tongue into Spencer's eager, open mouth.**

**Spencer moaned into the kiss, feeling Emily's tongue work desperately against her own. After a few minutes, Emily pulled away from Spencer's lips and placed a few kisses over her girlfriend's neck and breasts. Emily then took one of Spencer's nipples into her mouth and gently sucked on it. Emily stopped sucking, only to flick her tongue over Spencer's erect nipple.**

**Emily's arousal skyrocketed at the sensation of Spencer's hands wandering over her bra-covered breasts and bare stomach. Spencer let her fingers wander over Emily's breasts, she could feel her girlfriend's nipple rings straining against the material of her bra. Once Spencer reached Emily's pants, she unbuckled her belt before undoing both the button and zipper. Emily reached underneath her body and slid her pants down her legs, pushing them further downward until they pooled around her ankles. Emily then slowly slid her hands up Spencer's thighs, underneath her dress and took the brunette's panties into her hands. Emily slid them downward as quickly as she could. When the material reached her knees, Spencer took over and helped Emily maneuver the garment the rest of the way down her legs and off of her body. Emily then slid her hand back up the soft, toned flesh of Spencer's thigh and slipped two of her fingers into the brunette's body. Emily began thrusting her fingers in and out, using long drawn out strokes, steadily gaining speed. Emily used her free hand to pull Spencer closer against her body as she pressed her lips to Spencer's neck and gently sucked on her pulse point.**

**Spencer laced her hands into Emily's hair as she began rocking her hips against her girlfriend's fingers. Spencer found Emily's lips with her own, initiating an extremely heated and desperate kiss. Spencer immediately forced her tongue into Emily's mouth, eliciting an aroused groan from the architect. Without ever breaking the kiss, Spencer slid her hands down Emily's chest, over her abdomen and to her hips. Spencer slipped her hand, just underneath the waistband of Emily's underwear. Spencer allowed her fingers to linger teasingly just above Emily's center. Emily gently raised her hips upward, in a non-verbal attempt to coax Spencer into touching her where she now needed it the most. Spencer happily obliged as she slipped her hand further inside of Emily's underwear and allowed her fingers to seek out the architect's most sensitive spot.**

**"Fuck." Emily grunted into the kiss.**

**Spencer could feel Emily's heart beating rapidly and her breathing rate begin to increase as she quickened her pace. Spencer used her free hand to run her fingers through Emily's soft, dark hair. After a few minutes, Spencer broke the kiss to stare into Emily's eyes as she rubbed her harder with her fingers. Emily slouched down in her seat a little, trying to attain a better angle as she continued sliding her fingers in and out of Spencer's body. Spencer slipped her free hand over Emily's shoulder, underneath the material of her shirt. Spencer then felt Emily's thumb press down on her clit, causing the brunette to squirm and involuntarily dig her fingernails into the architect's shoulder. Emily slowly began making small, tight circles on Spencer's most sensitive spot, steadily increasing her speed the harder she felt Spencer's nails dig into her flesh.**

**"God." Emily grunted as Spencer began rubbing her faster and harder, bringing her closer and closer to the edge.**

**Emily quickened her pace inside of Spencer again. She tried her best to delay her own orgasm until after Spencer had finished, but Emily was now quickly losing herself in the pleasure that she was receiving. Emily leaned her head back against the seat of the car and closed her eyes as Spencer's fingers went into overdrive. Emily began thrusting her hips upward to create more friction against Spencer's fingers. Emily felt a strong tightening sensation growing in the pit of her stomach.**

**"Fuck Spence. I'm gonna-" Emily choked out, the rest of her sentence trailing off as an overwhelming sense of both pleasure and relief flooded her entire body.**

**Emily momentarily stopped moving her fingers inside of Spencer as she found herself reveling in the lingering tremors of her own orgasm. Spencer slowly removed her fingers from the architect's body. Spencer then wrapped both of her arms around Emily's neck and initiated another searing, passion-filled kiss.**

**Once Emily had regained enough of her composure, she quickly resumed pumping her fingers in and out of Spencer's body at a blistering speed. Emily slipped her free hand around the small of Spencer's back to steady her. Spencer arched into Emily's touch as she began thrusting her hips forward, desperate for more friction. A familiar sensation of heat began to work its way up Spencer's body as she writhed on Emily's fingers. When Emily felt Spencer's walls begin to contract around her fingers, she used her thumb to focus on rubbing tight, quick circles on her girlfriend's clit.**

**"God, Em." Spencer's breath hitched in her throat and her muscles stiffened as she finally reached her climax. "Mmm..."**

**Emily continued rubbing Spencer, though now her pace was much slower than it previously had been as she helped her girlfriend ride out the last few tremors of her orgasm.**

**Spencer ran her fingers through Emily's hair and kissed the architect. Emily slowly slipped her fingers out of Spencer's body and wiped off the moisture on her own abdomen before placing her hands around her girlfriend's waist. Spencer closed her eyes and leaned forward, allowing the majority of her body weight to rest against Emily as she inhaled and exhaled deeply to catch her breath. Emily placed a few light kisses to Spencer's neck and the top of her shoulder.**

**"So...you did come, didn't you?" Emily asked softly as she kissed Spencer's neck again. "Because if you didn't, just tell me and we can try another position and I'll-"**

**Spencer lifted her index finger and placed it over Emily's lips to silence her. "I did, Em. I definitely did." Spencer stared into Emily's dark eyes.**

**"Good. It felt like you did, but I just wanted to be sure."**

**"I always do. Don't worry." Spencer placed her hands on Emily's shoulders and kissed her.**

**"I'm glad." Emily said when the kiss was broken.**

**After a few minutes, Spencer slipped the straps of her dress back over her shoulders, un-straddled Emily's waist and settled into the seat, next to her girlfriend.**

**"Listen, I'm sorry if it bugs you that I ask sometimes." Emily said as she placed her arm around Spencer's shoulder. "It's just that sex with you is really good for me and I only wanna make sure it's good for you too. I hope I'm not too annoying."**

**"Oh yeah, having a completely unselfish girlfriend who cares that I get off too. How horribly annoying. I hate that." Spencer said sarcastically as she nestled her cheek against Emily's chest.**

**Emily snickered a little.**

**"You're always gonna stay this sweet, right?" Spencer asked.**

**"For you. Absolutely. I love you." Emily said, placing a kiss to the top of Spencer's head.**

**"I love you too..." Spencer gently rubbed her hand up and down Emily's stomach. "And you're never annoying, by the way."**

**After a few minutes, Spencer glanced at Emily's watch, she squinted in the darkness at the large face until she could make out the time, which was eleven thirty p.m.**

**"I should really be getting home." Spencer said. "I don't want to, but my dad's probably still waiting up for me."**

**"True. I don't want him to get upset." Emily removed her arm from around Spencer's shoulder and reached down to pull up her pants.**

**"Would you mind zipping me?" Spencer asked, turning her back toward Emily.**

**"You got it." Emily reached over and gently pulled the zipper on Spencer's dress up and back into place.**

**"Thanks." Spencer said.**

**"No problem. I have to admit, I do like taking your clothes off way more than putting them on though." Emily chuckled.**

**Spencer laughed and playfully pushed Emily's shoulder.**

**Spencer leaned over Emily's lap and reached to the front passenger seat for her shoes. Emily couldn't help but allow her eyes to sink down to Spencer's backside. Emily mentally noted how good Spencer's butt looked in her dress, the material hugging every curve of the small brunette's slender body. Emily reached out and trailed her hands down the small of Spencer's back before placing both of her hands firmly on Spencer's backside.**

**"Are you trying to get me going again?" Emily said, huskily. "Because I think it's working."**

**Spencer smirked to herself as she picked up her shoes and sat back down beside Emily.**

**"Take it easy there, tiger." Spencer said. "I wouldn't mind a second round, but we definitely don't have time for that. So if you want more, unfortunately, you're on your own."**

**"Aw man." Emily exhaled a heavy breath and zipped up her pants as Spencer slipped her shoes back on.**

**Spencer then opened the car door on her side and stepped out. As she waited for Emily to get out, she straightened her dress and smoothed out her hair. After a few moments, Emily stepped out of the car, holding Spencer's panties in her hand. "These were on the floor."**

**"I'll just shove them in my purse." Spencer laughed and opened the driver's side door. She reached for her purse and stuffed her panties into the bottom of her bag.**

**"I'll see you tomorrow." Emily said.**

**"Mm hm." Spencer nodded.**

**"Let me know when you get home." Emily said, placing her hands on Spencer's hips.**

**"I will." Spencer slipped her arms up over Emily's shoulders and kissed her.**

**"Thanks. I love you."**

**"I love you too. Have a good night." Spencer said as she re-buttoned Emily's shirt for her.**

**Emily leaned down and placed one last kiss to Spencer's lips.**

**"Goodnight." Emily said, stepping aside and waiting for Spencer to get into her car.**

**Once Spencer was inside, Emily closed the door and headed back to her apartment as Spencer pulled out of the parking space and drove off.**


	99. Chapter 99

It was Tuesday evening when Emily had been getting herself ready for Spencer's graduation ceremony. As Emily tucked her shirt into her jeans and buckled her belt around her waist, she heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in." Emily called out.

Pam opened the door and walked into the room with a laundry basket full of clothing.

"Here honey, I did one last load of laundry this afternoon so you shouldn't have to do any for a while."

"Thanks mom. You didn't have to do that, but I appreciate it." Emily said.

"It's all right. I don't mind, sweetie. Now, these things on top here, I'm assuming belong to Spencer. Make sure she gets them back, okay?" Pam set the basket down on the bed.

"What makes you think this stuff isn't mine?" Emily joked, looking inside the basket, noticing a few pairs of lace panties and bras on top of the pile.

"I've been buying you clothes for twenty three years." Pam said. "I know my kid and I know well enough that if they're not shorts or sports bras, you won't wear them."

"Hey, I have some regular bras." Emily retorted.

"Very few of them." Pam countered.

"Well, thanks again for doing my laundry and Spencer's. I'll put my stuff away as soon as I'm done getting dressed. Do you think it's okay if I wear jeans to Spencer's graduation? I was gonna wear a blazer too."

"It depends on the jeans. If you're talking about those ripped up ones with the holes in the knees that you always wear, absolutely not."

"I know you hate those ones." Emily rolled her eyes. "I tell you all the time, they're supposed to look like that. But, I'm talking about the ones I have on now. They're new."

"These look really nice on you, actually. When did you get them?"

"Spencer bought them for me."

"I think these are fine for you to wear to the ceremony. Are those the shoes you're wearing?" Pam looked down at Emily's black, leather Oxford shoes.

"Yeah. Why? Don't you like them?"

"I like them, they just don't match your belt. So either wear your brown shoes or change your belt."

"Is that a thing? Shoes and belts are supposed to match?" Emily asked.

"They should. It looks better if they do." Pam walked over to the closet and took out a black leather belt. "Put this one on instead."

"Okay. Thanks, mom." Emily unbuckled the belt she was wearing and pulled it through all of the loops on her jeans before tossing it into the closet.

"I'm going to get myself ready and we can leave shortly."

* * *

When Emily, Pam and Wayne arrived at the school, they walked into the lobby outside of the auditorium where the commencement ceremony was being held. The lobby was packed full of students and their families; Emily's eyes scanned the room looking for any members of the Hastings' family. After a few moments, Emily noticed Peter and Veronica across the room, standing in front of a large trophy case with Spencer, dressed in her cap and gown. Also standing next to them were Spencer's aunt and uncle Hastings, Nana Hastings, Melissa and Wren as well as Bridget and Casey.

"Emily and her parents just got here." Spencer said, waving to her girlfriend across the room.

Casey turned her head and looked off in the same direction as Spencer.

"Those are her parents?" Casey said. "Jesus, is the gene pool in that family strong or what?"

"Tell me about it." Spencer smiled. "They definitely have genetics on their side, but then again, so do we."

"True." Casey nodded.

"Hi, Spence." Emily said as she approached her girlfriend and hugged her. "You look great."

"Thanks." Spencer spoke into Emily's chest.

Peter then greeted the Fields family and took a minute to introduce Pam and Wayne to the rest of the family.

"So are you ready to give your speech, Spence?" Emily asked.

"Honestly, I'm kinda nervous." Spencer inhaled and exhaled a heavy breath.

"You practiced that speech on me about a million times. You don't have anything to worry about." Emily said confidently.

"Yeah, you're gonna be fine." Casey said.

"You'll be great up there, kiddo." Bridget added. "I know it."

"Thanks." Spencer said. "I should go get ready. I'll meet you all back here afterward."

"We'll be here." Veronica said. "Good luck, honey."

After everyone else had had the opportunity to wish Spencer good luck, the brunette quickly made her way around the corner and down the hall to join the rest of her graduating class as they lined up in preparation to take the stage.

* * *

That evening the Fields and Hastings families sat proudly in the audience watching Spencer stand at the podium in the middle of the stage, addressing her graduating class as their valedictorian.

"That's my baby." Nana Hastings said as she dabbed away a few tears with the tissue in her hand. She then reached over and took Peter's hand in her own, giving it a firm squeeze.

As Emily listened to her girlfriend, she caught herself smiling brightly from ear to ear, a lump forming in her throat as an overwhelming sense of pride washed over her. Once Spencer had finished her speech, she was met with a huge eruption of applause from the crowd as well as from her classmates.

"She was wonderful." Veronica said, reaching up to wipe away a tear from her eye.

"Here, honey." Nana Hastings reached over and handed Veronica a tissue. "I brought lots of tissues. I knew we'd need them."

"Thank you." Veronica said, dabbing the moisture from her eyes.

When the crowd eventually quieted down, Spencer walked across the stage and took her seat along with the rest of her classmates as they waited for each student's diploma to be distributed. Once Spencer's name was called, Peter held his camera to snap a few photos.

"Are you getting good pictures? You better be." Veronica said, nudging her husband.

"I'm trying. But, you're messing them up." Peter chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so proud of her."

"I know. So am I." Peter said.

* * *

When the ceremony had come to end, Emily, Pam and Wayne stood outside the auditorium chatting with the Hastings as they waited for Spencer to find them. After a few minutes, Spencer noticed her family among the crowd. She maneuvered around the many other people packed into the room and made her way over to her family.

"There's my baby." Nana Hastings said, enveloping the tall brunette into a tight hug. "You were so great up there, sweetie."

"We're all so proud of you." Veronica said.

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "You didn't even seem nervous at all."

"Thanks." Spencer wrapped her hands around Emily's forearm. "Once I started talking it was fine. I think it was just the anticipation that made me so nervous. And thank you for coming." Spencer glanced over at both Pam and Wayne. "I hope you weren't too bored."

"Nonsense. I'm glad we could come support you." Pam smiled.

"What do you say we continue this back at our house?" Peter said. "Spence, are your friends coming?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "They're gonna find their parents and meet us there in a little while."

* * *

When the Fields arrived at the Hastings' house that evening, they walked up the porch stairs and Emily shifted the four bouquets of assorted colored roses she was holding in her hand, before ringing the doorbell. After just a few moments, Veronica opened the door and happily ushered everyone inside.

"Did Alison, Aria and Hanna make it here yet?" Emily asked. "I brought roses for everyone."

"How sweet." Veronica said. "They're all in the living room with Spencer. You know the drill, go ahead and make yourself at home."

"Thanks, Missus Hastings." Emily said as she walked through the living room toward her girlfriend.

"I know you said I didn't have to bring anything." Pam said. "But, I didn't feel right showing up empty handed, so I baked some cookies."

"That was so nice of you." Veronica said. "Thank you. Come on, we'll put them out in the kitchen. Wayne, Peter's over in the family room. I think he was putting on a hockey game or baseball game. Some kind of sports something or other, if you're interested. Down the hall and to the left."

"Hey, Em." Spencer smiled.

"Hi. Here, these are for you." Emily said, handing Spencer a dozen deep red roses. "Congratulations, Spence. I love you."

"Aw. Thanks, Em. I love you too." Spencer reached up and placed a kiss to Emily's lips.

"You're welcome. And These are for you." Emily then handed a bouquet of yellow roses to Alison. "Orange ones for you." She gave a bouquet of orange roses to Aria. "And last but not least, these are for you." Emily handed the last bouquet of pink roses to Hanna. "Congratulations. I'm really proud of all of you."

"You're such a sweetie." Spencer smiled and slipped her arm around the small of Emily's back.

"You have the cutest girlfriend." Hanna said, looking over at Spencer. "Thanks, Em." Hanna stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Emily.

"Thank you. This is so nice of you. The roses are gorgeous." Aria said as she joined Hanna, embracing the architect.

"You're welcome." Emily smiled, returning the embrace.

"Okay. Even I have to admit, she's basically perfect." Alison huffed.

"We didn't start off great, but I knew I'd win you over eventually, Alison." Emily winked. "I have room for one more, you know." She opened her arms.

"Thank you for the roses." Alison said as she walked over to her friends and also joined in on the embrace.

"You're welcome. You know it's funny, when I went to my florist to order four dozen roses, she just stared at me with this horrified look on her face and said 'Emily, how mad is she? What did you do?' I told her it wasn't like that, but she didn't believe me." Emily laughed. "She just kept asking what I did wrong."

"Aww." Spencer laughed. "Absolutely nothing." Spencer ran her fingers though Emily's hair and kissed her cheek. "Are you hungry? We can get you some food."

"Sure. Sounds good. My mom made some cookies too."

"Awesome. Your mom makes amazing cookies." Spencer took Emily's hand and led her to the kitchen where Veronica was busy setting out the cookies that Pam had brought, which were cut outs shaped and decorated with icing to look like sharks.

"You decorated these yourself?" Veronica asked. "They're adorable."

"Thank you. I remembered Emily saying that Rosewood's mascot is a shark and I happened to find these cute little cutters the other day when I was shopping. It didn't take much to decorate them."

"These are so cute." Spencer picked up a cookie and admired Pam's decorating skills before taking a bite. "Mom, could you grab me something to put these in, please?" Spencer asked, holding up the bouquet of roses in her hand.

"Sure, honey." Veronica turned around and opened the cabinet underneath the sink. She took out a tall, glass vase and filled it with water before handing it to her daughter.

"Thanks mom." Spencer said as she took the plastic sleeve from the roses and placed them into the vase.

"Spence, is there somewhere that I can put my blazer?" Emily asked.

"Of course, babe. Give it here. I'll hang it up for you."

"Thanks." Emily slipped off her jacket and handed it to her girlfriend.

"Hey, Em." Casey said approaching the architect. "It's nice to see you again."

"Casey, you just saw me at the ceremony like twenty minutes ago." Emily laughed. "You sat directly behind me."

"I didn't say it was a long time since I've seen you. I said it was nice to see you." Casey laughed as she wrapped her hands around Emily's elbow. "Never hurts to have a little eye candy in the room. Am I right?"

"I can't even leave for two seconds without you trespassing on my territory." Spencer raised an eyebrow and mock glared at her cousin.

"Can we just let it be known that I'm doing no touching here?" Emily put her hands up in protest. "I'm just standing. Minding my own business."

"Oh you're good. I trust you. She's the questionable one." Spencer laughed.

"Veronica, you and Peter have such a lovely home." Pam said.

"Thank you so much. What do you think of the kitchen? Emily completely redid almost everything in here for us."

"It's beautiful. Where did you order the cabinets from, Em?" Pam asked. "These are gorgeous. I love the color and the style. I'd love to have you put something like this in at our house."

"I hand built those. Mister and Missus Hastings and I went over some different styles, they showed me some things they liked and gave me free reign. So instead of ordering something pre-made, I designed and built them myself."

"Like completely from scratch?" Casey asked.

"Yep." Emily nodded.

"I could watch her fix stuff all day." Spencer said. "She's so good at it. Plus, she looks super cute in a tool belt."

"I bet. Feel free to come to New York and do some repair work at our apartment any time you want." Casey said. "Is it cool if I open this wine, Aunt Veronica?"

"Sure, honey." Veronica nodded. "Melissa, can you get her out a cork screw?"

"Yeah." Melissa turned around and slid open one of the drawers behind her. She pulled out a cork screw and handed it to her cousin.

"Thanks." Casey said, proceeding to open the bottle.

"We've been here all of like twenty minutes and you're already hitting the wine." Bridget laughed as she walked over to her sister.

"What?" Casey shrugged. "Aunt Veronica said I could. And we're supposed to be celebrating. You want some?"

"Well, since you have it open already." Bridget chuckled. "It is the good stuff after all."

"Hell yeah. I love living in a rich family." Casey poured a little wine into two glasses. "Uncle Peter doesn't mess around when it comes to alcohol. Anyone else want a glass?"

"I'll have some." Veronica said.

"How about you, Missus Fields?" Casey asked.

"Sure. I'll have a little. Thank you." Pam said.

"There's also beer, bottled water and soda in the fridge." Veronica said. "Feel free to help yourselves to whatever you'd like. Pam, would you like to see the addition to our house that Emily and her crew built?" Veronica asked, picking up one of the glasses of wine and handing it to Pam before taking one for herself.

"I'd love to." Pam said as she followed Veronica out of the kitchen.

"So, do you guys actually have stuff that needs fixed at your apartment?" Emily asked, looking at Casey, then over to Bridget.

"Well, not at the moment. But, I'd be happy to break some stuff if it means I'll get to watch you fix it." Casey laughed.

"No." Emily laughed too. "I was just gonna say, if you guys had some non-emergency things that needed repaired, Spencer and I are gonna be in New York in a couple of weeks anyway."

"Oh yeah?" Casey said, taking a sip from her glass. "For what?"

"We're going to see MacBeth." Spencer smiled.

"You're lucky. I'm so jealous." Melissa said. "Wren never takes me to the theater."

"You're married now." Casey said. "If you wanna go to the theater, make him take you. All you have to do is say we're going, so put on a tie and get your ass in the car. He has to do what you say."

Melissa laughed. "I'll definitely have to try out that line on him next time there's something I want to do."

"That'll actually probably work. We all know you wear the pants in the relationship." Spencer said. "Wren's too nice of a guy to tell you no."

"That's true, you know." Bridget agreed. "So how'd you guys manage to get MacBeth tickets anyway?" Bridget turned to Spencer. "Casey and I are going, but we only got tickets because Casey knows someone who works at the theater. And it was still a stretch to get even two tickets."

"All thanks to my well-connected girlfriend." Spencer said. "She managed to get them for me."

"I just got lucky." Emily said. "I made some calls and it worked out."

"Really lucky. Those tickets are pretty much impossible to get." Casey said. "I hope she at least rewarded you with some good thank you head or something." The brunette nudged Emily.

"I definitely thanked her." Spencer rubbed her hand up and down Emily's back.

"I was planning on taking Spencer out to dinner before we go to the play. Maybe you two would wanna join us?" Emily asked, walking over to the refrigerator.

"That'd be fun." Spencer said. "We don't get to see each other a lot."

Emily opened the refrigerator door and took out a can of soda from the top shelf.

"If you guys don't mind us tagging along on your date..." Bridget said. "I'd love to get together with you. If you want, you can even come stay the night at our place afterward."

"Yeah. You can sleep in my room." Casey looked over at Emily with a smirk. "Are you a top or a bottom?"

"You have bunk beds?" Emily joked, as she walked back around the kitchen island to where Spencer was standing.

"Oh honey, no." Casey laughed, she reached up and playfully flicked the tip of Emily's nose with her index finger.

"Yeah, like I'm gonna let her anywhere near your bedroom." Spencer laughed. "Keep on dreaming, Casey."

"Um, so if you guys wanna let me know a good restaurant to take you to, I'll make a reservation." Emily said. "Think about where you wanna go and get back to me."

"Where did you say you went on that date last weekend, Case?" Bridget asked, looking over her sister.

"Some Italian place. I can't remember the name, but it was like right near Central Park."

"I know you didn't actually stay for dinner there, but you said the restaurant was nice." Bridget said. "We could try it."

"I'm good with that." Casey nodded. "I know you like Italian, Spence. Is that okay with you, Emily?"

"Sure. I love Italian food."

"Cool. I'll look up the name and let you know."

"So, you didn't have dinner though?" Melissa asked. "Were you just having drinks or was the person a creep or something?"

"He turned out to be a huge creep. We sat down and it was fine at first, but instead of talking to me, he pulled out his phone and just sat there staring at the screen...well, when he wasn't too busy checking out literally every other woman who walked by. Sorry, we're not all five foot nine and blonde." She rolled her eyes. "And if he talked, he barely looked up from my chest."

"What an ass." Spencer said.

"Seriously. I bought a new dress for that date and my boobs looked amazing so I can't totally fault him for looking, but he was still a total douchebag."

"So, what did you do?" Melissa asked. "I hope you told him off."

"He wasn't paying attention anyway, so I ordered the most expensive meal on the menu and a two hundred dollar bottle of wine. I waited for the food and wine to be brought out, then I told him I was going to the bathroom and I left."

"You just walked out?" Spencer laughed.

"Yep."

"It was probably a good twenty minutes later that he texted me and asked if I was still in the bathroom. I told him I was busy blowing some waiter and he actually asked if I was coming back soon. What an idiot." Casey rolled her eyes again. "And get this, a couple of hours later, after I obviously didn't come back, he texted me again with a nasty dick pic, asking me to send him back a picture of my tits because he 'wanted something to jerk off to.'" Casey made air quotes with her fingers.

"Wow." Emily shook her head. "What a jerk. I always yell at my guy friends for pulling disgusting shit like that with the girls they're talking to."

"And tell them what you did." Bridget snickered.

"I Googled pictures of dicks and blew up his phone with random, unsolicited dick pics until he blocked my number. Good luck staying hard after that, asshole." Casey said, nonchalantly, taking another sip from her wine glass.

"I love you, Casey." Spencer laughed. "You're definitely my hero."

"Sounds like a well-deserved taste of his own medicine." Melissa chuckled. "I don't get why guys think girls wanna see that. It's one thing if you ask, but it's so rude and disrespectful to just send that stuff."

"It really is." Bridget said. "And they're always immediately asking for your bra size. What's that about? Like they even know what it means."

"I know! That's so annoying." Casey said. "I could just spout off random combinations of letters and numbers and they'd probably instantly jizz their pants. I get why guys like boobs, but who gives a shit what size they are? They're all fun to look at, right Em?"

"Well...yeah. Pretty much." Emily laughed. "I'm not biased."

"But, I really hate when I'm talking to a guy and five minutes in to the conversation, he's already asking me to send a picture of my boobs." Casey said. "God, it's such a turn off. Get a life. You could pretend to be interested in the conversation for a while first before you ask for pictures. If pictures are all you want, just look online. There's tons of free porn to look at and you wouldn't have to you know, like talk to another human being. God forbid."

"Seriously though, no matter if you're talking to a guy or a girl no one should be asking for stuff that personal that soon into a conversation." Spencer said. "I don't think many girls would do that though. I'd like to think most of us have more tact and class than that."

"True. I've never had a lesbian pull that shit on me before." Casey said. "I guess we already know a lot of guys are pervs though, so that's not surprising...but what about you, Em?"

"What about me?" Emily asked, taking a drink from the soda can she had just opened.

"Well, a stud like you has probably talked to and flirted with tons of women." Casey said. "But, you're totally not a jerk at all. What do you think is appropriate? How long do you talk to a girl before you ask her to send you nudes?" Casey asked, looking up at Emily.

"If the answer to that question is anything except never, you're going to be in a lot of trouble." Pam walked up beside her daughter, only having heard the very end of Casey's question.

Emily's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, she silently cursed herself for not noticing Pam and Veronica walking back into the kitchen.

"Of course, mom." Emily cleared her throat. "I would never ask for stuff like that."

"Good." Pam nodded her head. "I raised you better than that. That's not what cell phones are for."

"On that note. I'm gonna go outside for a cigarette." Casey laughed. "Does anybody have a lighter I can borrow? I lost mine."

"I have one in my car." Emily said.

"You don't smoke, Em." Spencer said.

"You didn't start again, did you?" Pam questioned.

"No." Emily shook her head. "But, I always keep a lighter in my glove box, just in case. You never know when you might need one for something."

Casey walked over to the couch and picked up her purse. She fished a pack of cigarettes out of one of the pockets.

"I'll go grab you that lighter." Emily said.

"Awesome. Thanks."

"Where are you going?" Casey's mother asked as she walked into the kitchen, talking with Nana Hastings.

"Just out for a smoke. I'll be right back."

"You know, I really wish you would quit. Smoking is so bad for you, Casey." The brunette's mother said. "It's a terrible habit and it's only going to make you sick."

"Yeah well, I'm here for a good time, not a long time, mom." Casey said, sarcastically.

"Don't say that, honey." Pam said. "That's horrible."

"Sorry, Missus Fields." Casey said. "Excuse me."

Casey then followed Emily outside and into the driveway to her car.

"You drive a Prius?" Casey asked, sounding surprised. "Do you even fit in that thing?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "It's got a lot more leg room than it seems to."

Emily opened the passenger side door and retrieved the lighter from her glove box.

"Here." Emily handed the lighter to Casey.

"Thanks. You can have a cigarette if you want one. I won't tell your mom."

"Oh, no thanks. After I gave it up a few years ago, I promised my mom I wouldn't smoke again and I haven't."

"Did she nag you endlessly to quit, like my mom? Every time we see each other she's always bitching about it." Casey said as she placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it before handing the lighter back to Emily. "Thanks."

"Not nag so much as force." Emily laughed. "She made one of her unannounced college visits and when she was going through my laundry, she found a pack of cigarettes in my jeans. She flipped out and yelled at me about how smoking would ruin my college athletic career then eventually kill me. You know, typical mom lecture."

"I know those all too well." Casey said. "What sport did you play?"

"I was a swimmer."

"With arms like that, I should have known." Casey snorted. "Did you wear a Speedo?"

"Yeah." Emily laughed. "Speedo was our preferred brand of swimwear. But, we had to wear those unflattering one piece things that no one ever looks good in."

"I don't know about that. I still wouldn't mind seeing you in one."

"That wine must be starting to kick in, huh?" Emily snorted, glancing over at the brunette.

"A little bit, maybe." Casey shrugged. "Anyway, did you have a hard time quitting smoking?"

"It was tough, yeah. I ended up quitting cold turkey. I was irritable and a huge asshole when the nicotine cravings would hit, but I had to power through it. I had to quit. My mom can be pretty scary when she's angry." 

"Really? Your mom seems so sweet." Casey said in between a few drags of the cigarette. "She's obviously proud of you. I hope I didn't get you in too much trouble with her."

"You didn't." Emily said following Casey back toward the Hastings' porch. "She's always giving me speeches about respecting people and stuff like that. Especially the girls I date. After she found out I took Spencer's virginity, it was serious lecture time. You know, the whole 'you better not hurt her. Sex is big step in a relationship and you better never disrespect her.' Ever since my mom came to accept my sexuality, it's like she's doing everything possible to keep me from becoming a huge womanizer. I don't know what she thinks I do, but I'm definitely not-"

"You don't have to defend yourself to me." Casey interjected as she sat down on the top stair of the porch. "I never thought you were. But, at least your mom cares." Casey sighed heavily.

"You say that like yours doesn't. Does she not like that you're bisexual? I mean, that is what you consider yourself, right?" Emily asked as she sat down next to the brunette.

"As of late, I'd call it more so bisexual with strong lesbian tendencies, if you're really that into labels." Casey said matter-of-factly as she turned her head and exhaled a small puff of smoke away from Emily's direction.

"I'm not into labels at all. And my mom didn't always understand or support my sexuality. You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to, but if you do, I understand how you're feeling."

"Oh no, that's not it. My parents aren't homophobes or anything. They're cool about that stuff. But, they'd have to stop obsessing over Bridget and her perfect lawyer boyfriend and then actually care about what's going on in my life to give a shit about who I'm fucking."

"What?"

"Things have just been tense between my parents and I ever since I decided I didn't wanna be a lawyer. I dropped my pre-law concentration and they majorly freaked out."

"You're still in school, right? Like you just changed majors?"

"Yeah. I liked the political science classes I took. I know a lot of people hate politics, but I love it. It fascinates me. So, I picked up a journalism major. I wanna be a political analyst and investigative journalist or as my dad calls them, 'professional shit stirrers.'" Casey sighed. "I know the journalism field has kind of gotten a bad reputation over the last few years, but I wanna help change that. I wanna research and report the truth on all of the corruption in politics. I want people to have correct information about what's going on. Especially when they go to vote. That's so important. It's so easy for people to fall for all those click bait articles and false info graphics online. They'll pick a candidate or vote against a candidate based on untruthful things they saw on Facebook. And that's fucked up."

"It is. I agree." Emily nodded. "There's so much misinformation out there. It's really hard to tell what's accurate and what isn't."

"Yeah. Like you can probably guess, I'm fairly liberal myself."

"I had a feeling." Emily laughed.

"But, that's not the point. Whether it's liberal or conservative, I actually don't even care. I just think that people deserve to know what's true. There are both liberal and conservative shithead politicians in Washington and they should all be called out on their crap and kept in check."

"I absolutely agree with you there." Emily nodded again. "And I think it's so cool that you wanna do some good in the world."

"Thanks. I can still have my own political opinions, but keep that out of my reporting. That's what journalists are supposed to do. If it's not an opinion piece, you have to stay neutral, no matter how hard it might be. Just stick to only facts and you'll be fine."

"If half the people in the journalism field had that kind of integrity and good intentions this world would be in a lot better shape. And I think you'll be a great journalist."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course. You're a strong, independent woman ready to grab the world by the balls. Never letting anyone tell her what to do or how to it. True Hastings fashion."

"Thanks. It'd just be so much easier if my parents didn't hate what I wanna do with my life. I don't need their validation or anything, but it'd be nice if they were supportive."

"You know, before Spencer and I started dating, we talked a lot as friends and she told me about how her dad was hell bent on her becoming a lawyer too, but that's not the career she wants. She likes interior design and she's good at it-"

"Yeah, but even though she's minoring in interior design, she's still going to U Penn majoring in business, she'll get her MBA in a few years from Wharton, just like Melissa did. So uncle Peter can live with that. My parents are always trying to get Bridget to move back home to work at their own law firm so they'll have someone to leave their practice to when they retire, but they're never gonna be happy with me being a journalist."

"You never know. I'm sure they'll change their minds eventually. If I did everything my mom ever planned for my life, I'd probably be a suburban housewife married to some guy with a bunch of kids and I'd be completely miserable. I didn't think my mom would ever accept me being gay and if she changed her mind and can support that, then trust me, any parent can change their mind about anything."

"I hope you're right."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Spencer though. You can't spend your whole life trying to please everyone else. It's your life. You need to do what's best for you and what you want. Whatever makes you happy."

"Maybe." Casey shrugged. "My parents haven't threatened to stop paying my tuition yet, so there's that." Casey took another long drag of her cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke. "It's just that, it bugs me that no matter what I do in this family, I'll never be as good as Spencer, Melissa or Bridget. You'd think I'd be used to that by now though. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister and cousins to death, but Bridget and Melissa are the same age, Melissa's married and has a great job, Bridget's working hard at a pretty prestigious law firm and she's been with the same guy for three years and they'll probably get engaged soon. Then Spencer's the baby, going off to college in the fall and I'm just stuck in the middle. I'm not dating a brilliant young lawyer, married to a handsome British doctor or dating a gorgeous, sweet architect who thinks the world of me, you know? I hate that it bugs me and I wish it didn't, but it does..."

"Casey. You're only twenty one. Everyone does things on their own timeline. You'll graduate soon and start your own great career. And there's no law out there saying you have to always be dating someone or when you have to get married or have kids, or even that you have to at all. You don't need to rush that stuff. Just enjoy what you have now. Don't be in such a hurry, everything will happen when it's supposed to. It'll probably happen the minute you least expect it."

"You think so?"

"For sure." Emily nodded. "Do you think when I signed a contract to remodel the Hastings' house I ever would have expected to fall head over heels for their daughter?"

"Probably not." Casey shook her head.

"I just assumed their remodel would be the same as all the others. Get in, do the work, get paid and probably never hear from them again. But, Spencer's one thing in my life I never even realized I needed and now that we're together I can't imagine not having met her."

"Aw, Em. You know, I'm sorry. I asked to borrow a lighter and here you get stuck out here listening to me bitch about my family because you're just trying to be sweet. You're obviously way too nice to tell me to shut up and stop whining. I don't know if you know this, but you're just really easy to talk to. It's nice to talk to someone and for once not feel like they're judging or psychoanalyzing everything I do or say."

"Hey, I'm not here to judge. If you have something to get off your chest, I'm pretty good at listening...Spencer might disagree sometimes though." Emily laughed. "I try not to, but I kind of space out when she's talking about clothes and stuff."

Emily watched as a small smile crept across Casey's lips.

"There you go. I knew I could get you to smile." Emily playfully nudged Casey with her elbow. "You're so much prettier when you smile."

"You better watch out. I might just get tempted to steal you from Spencer." Casey joked.

"I like ya, but no one could ever possibly steal me away from Spencer. For the record though, just because we're not dating, doesn't mean I don't still think the world of you. You're smart, funny, beautiful, outspoken and so quick-witted. That's why your sarcasm is always perfectly on point." Emily chuckled. "I gotta respect a girl who'll say exactly what's on her mind."

"Thanks a lot, Em. You definitely know how to make me feel better. Can we have these little heart to hearts every time we see each other?"

"Yeah. Sure thing." Emily nodded.

Casey then put out her cigarette on the bottom of her shoe and leaned over to hug Emily.

"You ready to go back in or do you need another cigarette?" Emily asked, when the embrace was broken.

"No, I'm good."

Emily stood up and extended her hand down to Casey. Casey then took the architect's hand and Emily helped pull her to her feet.

"I don't wanna tell you what to do or anything, but you really should at least try to quit smoking." Emily said. "I promise, you'll feel a lot better if you do."

"I've cut back a lot already. I actually am trying to quit. I'm on the soccer team and sometimes I get really winded when I run. It's not a good feeling. I just didn't say anything before because I didn't want my mom to think I'm quitting just because she said so."

"You Hastings women have gotta be the most stubborn women on the whole planet." Emily snorted.

"Better get used to it, babe. Spencer's way worse than I am. That's what you have to look forward to."

Emily laughed as she opened the front door. "After you." She stepped aside so that Casey could walk in ahead of her.

"Thank you."

"So, you any good at soccer?" Emily asked.

"I'm a center midfielder. Only the quarterback of soccer positions, so what do you think?" Casey smirked.

When they returned to the living room, Casey tossed her pack of cigarettes back into her purse and walked back over to Spencer.

"Spence, I need to know, how do I get myself one of these?" Casey asked, pointing to Emily.

"You could try checking our back yard. That's where I found her." Spencer laughed. "She just showed up one afternoon and I haven't let her go since."

"If you're as smart as I think you are, you'll hang on tight to this one." Casey said. "It's not every day you find this combination of hot and rugged but still sweet and so sensitive."

"You better be careful, Casey. Emily hates it when anyone points out her sensitive side." Spencer joked, poking Emily in the stomach. "She likes to pretend she doesn't have one."

"I'm not really that-" Emily said.

"Please." Spencer rolled her eyes. "You cry picking out greeting cards at the grocery store."

"One time, one time that happened. And you swore you'd never tell anyone." Emily placed her hand over her face as her skin grew warm with embarrassment. "I was getting a card to send to my mom for Mother's Day and it just happened to sum up perfectly how I feel about her. I love my mom. I'm not made of stone, you know."

"I'm sorry." Spencer slipped her arm around the small of Emily's back. "But, don't be embarrassed. It's okay to cry sometimes. Besides, it's only Casey. Your image isn't ruined." Spencer said sarcastically. "I'm sure she still thinks you're just as studly as ever. I know I do."

"Totally." Casey agreed. "I like a strong partner who's not constantly blubbering all over me about every single little thing. But, at the same time, I think it's sexy when a girlfriend or boyfriend is secure enough with them self to cry in front of me sometimes."

"You do?" Emily asked.

"Sure. It means they're comfortable enough with me to let their guard down. That's not easy."

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "You don't have to wear your heart on your sleeve, I don't do that either. But, I like that we can open up with each other."

* * *

Later that evening, Emily found herself standing with Spencer and her friends in the Hastings' living room. Emily absently nibbled on a cookie, her mind drifting in and out of the conversation about the newest designer clothing lines.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Emily said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Spencer nodded.

When Emily was on her way back from the bathroom, she could hear the sound of the TV blaring from the family room down the hall. She could tell there was a hockey game on when the horn sounded, signaling that one of the teams had just scored a goal. When Emily walked back toward the kitchen, she ran into Peter, who had two bags of potato chips and a six pack of beer in his hands.

"Hey Emily. I was just coming to find you. Could I borrow you for a minute?" Peter asked.

"Yes, sir. Of course." Emily nodded, slightly nervous about what Peter wanted.

Emily followed Peter through the kitchen and back toward the family room.

"Is something wrong?" Emily asked.

"Not at all." Peter said as they reached the family room where Peter's brother Dan, Wayne and Wren were all seated watching a hockey game. "Just thought you might want to watch some of the game with us. Third period just started. Unless you'd rather listen to Spencer and her friends talk about clothes all night."

Peter set both bags of chips and package of beer down on the table in front of the couch.

"I'd love to watch the game." Emily smiled.

"Perfect. How about a beer?" Peter asked, taking a bottle from the cardboard carrier sitting on the table. "I just brought a fresh six pack in from the garage."

"Sure. That'd be great."

"Sit down." Peter used the opener on his key chain to remove the beer lid before handing it to Emily.

"Thanks." Emily said, sitting down next to her father.

"So, who do you like in the playoffs, bud?" Peter asked, looking over at Emily.

Emily didn't immediately respond, as she was assuming Peter was talking to either Wayne, Dan or Wren, but when no one said anything, she glanced over at Peter who was looking at her.

"Wait, me?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. Have you gotten to see many of the games?"

"A lot of them so far." Emily nodded. "I'm glad Spencer likes sports. It's been a long time since I dated a girl who was interested in sports and it's nice being able to watch the games with her and she doesn't complain."

"Consider yourself lucky." Peter said. "I think hell would freeze over if Veronica ever watched a game with me." He laughed.

"I am lucky. Spencer actually enjoys it. She knows all the stats and everything."

"She's certainly an information bank. And pretty enthusiastic. I usually have to tell her to calm down when she watches with me." Peter laughed. "She's always yelling at the screen. So, anyway who do you think is going to win it all this year? I'm going with the Predators."

"The Preds are good, but I think I gotta go Penguins." Emily said.

"You think they'll make it to the cup two years in a row?" Dan asked.

"It won't be easy, but I think they can do it. They're on fire lately."

"I heard a lot of people are predicting a Predators and Penguins Stanley Cup." Wren said. "I think it'd be an interesting series."

"Yeah. The Penguins had that one bad game last series, but other than that, they've pretty much been contenders in every other game of the playoffs." Wayne said.

"Yep. The defense can be a little a shaky though. Sometimes they struggle getting the puck out of their own zone, but for the most part the goaltending has been phenomenal." Emily said.

"Absolutely." Wren nodded. "The goalie will block the majority of the shots, but the defense can't let them into the zone. There will always be those shots that the goalie just has no chance at all of stopping without back up."

"As long as the Penguins don't take a bunch of stupid penalties, I think they've probably got a pretty good shot." Dan said.

"I wasn't so sure at the beginning of the season, but the Pens have really stepped up their game since then." Emily said. "I wouldn't mind seeing them take the Cup again."

"I know the Flyers didn't make the playoffs this year, but I can't believe you'd betray them and root for Pittsburgh, Emily." Peter said. "I thought better of you." He laughed.

"Hey, you gotta give credit where credit's due and they're playing their hearts out." Emily chuckled. "I think they want it more."

"This screen and surround sound is fantastic, Peter." Wayne said, as one of the players slammed an opposing player into the glass. "I feel like I'm right there getting body checked into the boards."

"Isn't it great?" Peter said. "And my wife tried to say we didn't need the TV and surround sound. I got a great deal on it all. I couldn't pass it up."

"My wife says the same thing." Dan said. "She wouldn't let me put the big TV in the living room. She said it was obnoxiously big and draws too much attention from the rest of the room. So, I had to put it downstairs in the basement family room and then she complains because I'm always down there. I can't win no matter what I do."

"Join the club." Peter laughed. "You should know by now it's just easier to give in than to even try to argue."

"But, what if you don't agree?" Wren said.

"It doesn't matter." Peter snickered. "Spoken like a true newlywed. You have so much to learn."

It was about fifteen minutes later that Spencer wandered into the room.

"There you are." Spencer locked eyes with her girlfriend. "I had a feeling my dad might have stolen you."

"Sorry. This third period's been pretty intense. I didn't mean to ditch you. I only meant to watch a few minutes, but lost track of time." Emily said.

"It's okay." Spencer walked around the back of the couch and placed her hands on Emily's shoulders.

"You wanna sit here?" Emily looked up at her girlfriend. "I can get up."

"No, it's all right. I hope these guys are being nice to you."

"They are." Emily nodded. "They gave me snacks and beer. Now we're bonding over sports. They've pretty much accepted me as one of their own." She laughed.

"Good." Spencer leaned down and kissed Emily's cheek. "I was just about to take your mom upstairs and show her the bookcase you built. Wanna come up with me?"

"Sure. Can I watch the rest of the game first though?" Emily asked. "There's only five minutes left."

"Of course you can. I think I'll stick around too. Two to one. Looks like it's been a good game." Spencer said. "And everyone knows the best action always comes in the last five minutes."


	100. Chapter 100

The next afternoon.

The Fields family found themselves getting ready to board their flight back to Texas.

"You two know that you can come home to visit any time you want this summer." Pam said.

"We're gonna try to make a trip at some point." Emily said.

Spencer nodded. "And thanks for coming to my graduation."

"Thank you for inviting us, honey." Pam said.

"Yes. We both really enjoyed meeting your family too." Wayne added.

It was only a few minutes later that everyone heard the boarding page for Pam and Wayne's flight.

"Let me know when you guys get home." Emily said.

"We will." Pam leaned into hug Emily.

When the embrace was broken, Pam placed a kiss to Emily's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." Emily reciprocated.

Emily then leaned over to hug her father.

"Take care of yourself, Emmy." Wayne said. "I hope we'll get to see you again soon."

"Me too, dad."

Pam and Wayne then both said their last goodbyes to Spencer before heading toward their terminal.

"So, what do we do now?" Spencer asked.

"Well, I've gotta go over to my office for a while. I have some work I need to get done, then I have to go over to the job site my guys are working on and make sure everything's going okay. I'll drive you home first though."

"You don't have to do that. I don't want you to have to make a bunch of unnecessary trips back and forth. You could just drop me off at the mall or something."

"You sure?" Emily looked over at Spencer. "I don't know how long I'll be."

"It's okay. I can keep myself busy. I'll text Hanna and see if she wants to come down and go shopping. Even if she's busy, I can always take the train back to Rosewood later."

"As long as you don't mind."

"How long do you think you'll be at work?"

"Probably until around six. I should be home by six thirty, seven maybe."

"Okay. I'll head to the store later and I'll cook you dinner."

"That would be great." Emily reached down and took Spencer's hand in her own.

"I'll make us a nice, romantic dinner and we can spend the night together. Alone."

"I love the sound of that." Emily smiled.

"I hoped you would."

 

That afternoon, Emily had been sitting in her office, working on a design when she heard someone enter through the front door. Emily got up from her drafting table and walked out into the lobby area of her office space, where she saw a tall, thin man with dark brown hair wearing a police uniform, who she immediately recognized as being the older brother of Mike, her crew member.

"Matt? Hey, man. It's good to see you." Emily gave him a hug.

"You too." He said returning the embrace. "How's it going?"

"Everything's great. What are you doing here?" Emily said excitedly. "I haven't seen you since you moved to Ohio."

"Mikey didn't tell you, I moved back here?"

"He said he was helping you guys move a couple weekends ago, but I didn't know you were officially back yet."

"Oh yeah. We're still settling in, but I had to start work this week. I happened to be in the area today, so I thought I'd drop by and see if you were around. Mike said you just rented this office space. Things must be going well for ya."

"Yeah. I'm doing all right. Business is going really well. I'm just still working on getting everything set up here."

"That's good to hear. I also heard you've got a girlfriend now too." Matt playfully elbowed Emily. "So I guess you're officially off of the dating market, huh?"

"Absolutely." Emily nodded. "And she's incredible, dude. Spencer's gorgeous. And sweet. And so smart. Like really smart. She's perfect and so far out of my league that I still can't believe she's even into me at all."

"I don't think I've ever seen you this crazy about a girl before." Matt laughed. "I didn't think it was possible."

"Well, I've never been with a girl like her before."

"Understandable. So, if you're pretty serious about her, you think she might be the one? Or haven't you thought that far ahead yet?"

"I've definitely thought about it. And I know she's the right one." Emily nodded. "Without a doubt. But, she's five years younger than I am, she'll be starting college in the fall and we haven't even been together for a full year yet, so I don't wanna rush her into anything. I'm sure she doesn't want a lot of her major life changes coming all at once, you know?" Emily laughed. "So we're just taking things slowly for now and we'll see what happens."

"Hey, there's no shame in taking things slow. I actually think it's a pretty good idea."

"Me too." Emily agreed. "So, anyway, what's going on with you besides moving? How's your wife?"

"She's fine. She's a lot happier now that we're back in Philly. She was pretty homesick. She's glad to be back closer to her parents."

"I get that. And how's your little guy? He's gotta be just about one now, right?"

"Yep. Just had his birthday last month. He's great. He's growing so fast. I can't believe it. Anyway, I really gotta get going, but it was awesome to see you, Em. Listen, Mike and I were planning to get together with the guys tomorrow night. Maybe hit a bar, watch a game or something. You should come hang."

"I've got a better idea." Emily said. "Why don't we meet up at my place and play some poker? We can have a few beers, order a couple pizzas and watch the Phillies. Like we used to."

"Hey, yeah. That's a great idea." Matt smiled. "Just like old times. I'm down for that."

"Cool. Let's say meet at my place around seven-ish. I'll tell the guys when I head over to the job site here shortly."

"Sweet. I'll see you tomorrow night then. Later, bud."

"See ya."

 

Early that evening, Spencer had been upstairs in her bedroom, packing herself an overnight bag. She finished stuffing a change of clothes into the bag and grabbed the copy of MacBeth Emily had given her off of the bookshelf and placed it on top of her clothing. Spencer then zipped up the bag and headed downstairs. When Spencer got down to the kitchen, she noticed her father coming in the front door.

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, Spence. Where are you off to?" Peter asked.

"I'm going to the grocery store. Then over to Emily's. I'm making us dinner and I wanna have it ready by the time she gets home from work. So I gotta go. I'll see you later."

"Hold on a second." Peter said. "When are you planning to be home?" He asked, noticing the bag in Spencer's hand.

"Sometime tomorrow, probably. I'm gonna stay over at Emily's tonight."

"Spencer. Sit down for a minute." Peter pulled out one of the stools at the kitchen island. "I want to talk to you."

"Wha...what about?" Spencer asked, placing her bag on the island and sitting down.

"Spence, I know you just got out of school..." Peter said, sitting down on the stool next to his daughter. "And it's summer time, but I don't want you sleeping over at Emily's apartment every night."

"Relax, dad. It's only the first day of vacation." Spencer said.

"I know. I'm just saying. I don't want it to become an every night thing."

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna back a U-Haul up to her door and move in or anything like that."

"Okay." Peter nodded. "I just wanted to mention it."

"I know. I'll see you tomorrow." Spencer stood up and picked up her bag. Spencer then leaned down and kissed her father on the cheek.

"Have a good night."

 

"Hey, Spence. Sorry I'm a little late. I got tied up at work." Emily said, walking into her living room.

"No problem, babe. Dinner's just about ready. I hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving. I skipped lunch and still ended up working late. Everything smells fantastic."

"I hope it tastes okay."

"I'm sure it's perfect." Emily smiled and kissed her girlfriend.

Spencer turned around and reached into the cabinet for two plates. "Why don't you go change your clothes? I laid out a clean pair of jeans and a shirt on the bed for you."

"Thanks a lot. I'll be back in a minute."

Once Emily had changed her clothes, she walked back into the kitchen, where Spencer had just set two plates of food out on the table.

"So, is tonight a preview of what this summer is gonna be like? You and I, playing house?" Emily asked, wrapping her arms around Spencer's waist from behind.

"Yeah. As much as possible." Spencer smiled to herself when she felt Emily gently kiss her neck. "But, my dad already told me he doesn't want me sleeping over here every night."

"Did you tell him you were sleeping over tonight?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "I told him. I mean as long as it's all right with you."

"Of course it is. You know you can stay here anytime. I did give you a key. I just figured you would have said you were staying at one of your friends' houses or something."

"Nope. I was honest with him. He knows I'm staying with you."

"Was he actually okay with it?"

"He didn't fight me on it. He just said he doesn't want it be an every night thing."

"Wow. I never thought he'd actually be okay with us, you know, like having an intimate relationship."

"Well, I'm sure he's still not thrilled, but it's gonna happen whether I actually spend the whole night or not. So why bother fighting about it?"

"That's true, I guess. I have to say, I like it a lot better when you stay the night though."

"So do I." Spencer turned around and ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "I hate getting up and leaving you afterward. It's hard. And I really love having a cuddle buddy. I brought MacBeth with me. Maybe we can start reading it later?"

"Sure. Sounds good. I got a paperback copy for myself too so we can read it together. We can read a little bit then you can help me make sense of it." Emily laughed.

"I'd be happy to. Are you ready to eat now?"

"I'm always ready to eat." Emily snorted.

Emily then pulled out Spencer's chair for her and motioned for her to sit down.

"I'll get us something to drink." Emily said. "What would you like?"

"Just water is good. Thanks."

"Do you want lemon?"

"Sure."

Emily opened the refrigerator and took out a whole lemon, which she cut two wedges out of. Emily filled two glasses with ice water, dropped the lemon wedges in and placed the glasses on the table.

"So, how was your day?" Spencer asked as Emily sat down at the table.

"It was pretty good. I got a lot of work done. How about yours? Did Hanna end up meeting you at the mall?"

"Yeah. She brought her friend, Mona. We shopped for a while and hung out in the food court. I don't know if you remember Mona. You met her once."

"I think I remember meeting her. We were on a date, around the time when we first started going out, I think. Small brunette, right?"

"Yep. That's her."

"Thought so." Emily nodded. "So, did you buy anything good?" She asked scooping up some of her food with her fork.

"Yeah. A couple of outfits. A pair of shoes. Some lingerie."

The word lingerie immediately caught Emily's attention. She looked up from her plate and locked eyes with her girlfriend.

"Lingerie, huh?"

Spencer watched Emily's eyes widen and a huge smirk creep across her face.

"Yep. But, I bought that more for you than for me." Spencer smiled. "I hope you'll like it."

"Can I see it now?" Emily asked, her tongue practically hanging out of her mouth.

"After dinner." Spencer laughed. "I have to shower first though."

"What for? You look fine to me."

"Since your parents were in town, I knew we wouldn't have much alone time, so I didn't really bother to keep up very well with the landscaping this week. I really need to shave. I meant to this morning, but I didn't have time before we left for the airport."

"Oh. I don't care about that." Emily said, matter-of-factly. "It doesn't bother me."

"I don't want you to end up with a bad case of stubble burn." Spencer laughed. "Your face is way too cute. I don't want anything to compromise that."

"Please." Emily chuckled. "I can handle a little stubble burn. When there's a girl willing to have sex with you, that stuff doesn't matter at all. You just power through it and be grateful."

"Oh yeah, you poor baby. Because there have been so few women out there willing to sleep with you." Spencer said sarcastically. "What a rough job, but someone's gotta do it. I guess I'll take one for the team." She rolled her eyes.

Emily laughed as she placed another bite of food into her mouth.

"Well, I'm just saying, not that my opinion matters at all, but landscaped or not, I honestly I don't mind one way or the other. It's your body, you can do whatever you want. You don't have to feel obligated to do things for me."

"You're sweet." Spencer reached over and patted Emily's hand.

"Nope, just trying to be a decent person. That's all. So...how about telling me more about this lingerie you bought."

"Well...Hanna and Mona helped me pick it out. It's a red lace bra and panty set. Basic, but still pretty. You do like lace, don't you?" Spencer gently stroked Emily's hand with her thumb.

"Definitely. Are you kidding?" Emily smirked.

"It's kind of a sheer material too. Almost see through, but not quite."

"Oh man." Emily put her fork down and ran her fingers through her hair, feeling herself quickly becoming more aroused. "I can't wait to see you in it."

"Better eat faster then. But, don't shovel it in. I don't want you to get a stomach ache, otherwise both of us will end up disappointed. How's the steak anyway? I hope I didn't over cook it. I know you like it medium, but the steaks were kinda thick and I just wanted to make sure I didn't leave it too rare."

"Don't worry, you cooked it perfectly. Just the way I like it. Steak can be a bit tricky, but you did a great job. And I don't know what kind of marinade you used, but it's really good too."

"I made it, actually. I found one of my mom's recipes."

"Cool. Homemade is always the best way to go. It's way better than those pre-made pouch seasonings."

"You want some more potatoes?" Spencer asked, noticing that Emily had already finished all of the potatoes that had been on her plate just a few minutes ago.

"I'd love some. Thanks."

Spencer stood up from the table and brought back a spoon full of potatoes and placed them onto Emily's plate.

"Here you go."

"Thank you." Emily looked up at her girlfriend.

"You're welcome. You're always cooking for me. I thought I should try to return the favor at least some of the time."

"I love cooking for you. But, this is really nice too."

"It is. Isn't it?"

"I love you, Spence. I'm not sure if I tell you that enough."

"I'll never get tired of hearing it. But, you know, I gotta say, that sounds even better when you say it to me outside of the bedroom."

"Wait...are you saying you don't like when I talk to you when we're-"

"No, no, no. That's not what I'm saying at all." Spencer gently ran her fingers through Emily's hair. "I just mean that saying those things is a lot easier with your pants off in the middle of a passionate moment. This way I know you're really sincere."

"Of course I am. You never have to question my sincerity. Ever. I promise you."

"I know." Spencer smiled. "And by the way, I love you too, so much." Spencer leaned down and kissed Emily's cheek.

 

Later that evening.

"Em, can you grab me the bag from the lingerie store? It's over by the closet."

"You got it." Emily picked up the bag and walked it over to Spencer.

Emily reached into the bag and pushed the tissue paper off to the side in an attempt to get a glimpse of the garments inside.

"Nosey much?" Spencer laughed, taking the bag and playfully swatting away Emily's hand.

"Just excited." Emily chuckled.

"Good." Spencer smiled. "Just give me a few minutes. I'll be back."

"Okay."

"And don't start without me." Spencer mock glared at her girlfriend and flicked the tip of Emily's nose with her index finger.

"I won't." Emily snorted.

After about twenty minutes, Spencer returned from her shower wearing a bathrobe and she noticed Emily sitting on the bed, flipping through a home improvement catalogue.

"Your phone went off a couple of times when you were in the shower."

"Who was it?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't look at it." Emily shook her head.

Spencer picked up her phone from Emily's night stand and read the messages.

"Please say it's not anything important." Emily said, standing up.

"Not really. It's Hanna. She wants to know if you and I wanna go to the drive ins with her and a few of our friends tomorrow night. You free?"

"Actually no. I sort of already have plans."

"Oh. What are you doing?"

"I found out that Mike's brother, Matt, is back in town. I talked to him for a few minutes today, but I haven't seen him in forever, so I'm having a few of my friends over here tomorrow night."

"Can I come?"

"Uh...well...I..." Emily hesitated.

"What? Is this like a bros only event?" Spencer said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

"I mean...kind of. If you wanna call it that. We're gonna have a poker game and watch the Phillies. We used to do it once a week."

"Well, I love baseball, I know how to play poker and I've got plenty of cash."

"Spence, I'm not gonna take your money."

"What makes you so sure you could beat me at poker?" Spencer questioned.

"I always end up winning at these games."

"Maybe your friends just suck at cards." Spencer laughed.

"Yeah. Maybe. But I still always win and that's all that matters." Emily laughed too.

"Seriously though. Let me come. I can be a bro for the night. I promise I won't embarrass you in front of your friends."

"It's not that. I just really don't think you'd have a good time. The guys are-"

"Sure I will." Spencer interjected. "You guys can just act normally around me. Don't worry."

"I just..."

"You can still talk about sex and boobs or any good porn you've watched lately. Or cars or tools. Whatever it is you guys like to talk about when you're working or hanging out. I won't get mad."

"Why would you assume we talk about the porn we watch?" Emily narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend.

"I don't know what you talk about with your guy friends." Spencer shrugged. "Wait...do you not want me to come because these things are exclusively for you guys to complain about your girlfriends?."

"Of course not. Matt's married, but I'm the only one of us who has a steady girlfriend right now."

"Well, do you talk about women?"

"I mean. Sometimes, yeah." Emily nodded.

"Do you talk about sex?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded again. "Don't you, with your friends?"

"Sure. So no big deal." Spencer said. "Do you talk about me and our sex life?"

"Occasionally. But, not in a disrespectful way, if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't-"

"I don't think that. I'm just saying you don't have to filter what you say because of me. I'll be cool. I swear."

"Spence. You know I love spending time with you, but..."

"But, what?" Spencer placed her phone back down on the night stand and slowly reached for the belt of her robe. "Does your crew not like me? Is that it?"

"Of course they like you. They like you a lot."

"Then they shouldn't mind if I join in." Spencer untied the belt and slipped her robe off of her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor and revealing the red lace bra and panty set she had on underneath.

"Fuck." Emily mumbled, her eyes almost instantly gluing themselves to Spencer breasts.

The bra Spencer was wearing pushed her breasts up and together, creating a lot of cleavage and the illusion that her breasts were much larger than they actually were.

"You like?" Spencer smirked.

Emily nodded, her eyes never leaving Spencer's body.

"Like is an understatement." Emily swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I'm glad." Spencer smiled and reached for the top button on Emily's shirt.

Spencer slowly undid each button on Emily shirt. Once she reached the last button, Spencer slipped her hands into Emily's hair and pressed her lips to the architect's. Emily closed her eyes and placed her hands on Spencer's hips. Emily opened her mouth and quickly slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth. After a few minutes, Spencer broke the kiss and placed her hands on Emily's chest. She slowly trailed one of her hands in between the two open halves of Emily's shirt, down the architect's chest, in between her bra clad breasts and down her bare abdomen to her pants.

"So are you gonna let me come to this game or what?" Spencer smiled up at Emily while taking her belt buckle into her hands and slowly undoing it.

"Oh come on. This isn't fair." Emily husked as she watched Spencer very slowly unbutton and unzip her jeans.

"Maybe it isn't." Spencer smirked. "But, do you actually care, babe?"

"Not really." Emily let out a slight chuckle. "But, you're just so sweet and the guys can be a little...crude sometimes. I don't want them to offend you."

"I promise. I won't get offended." Spencer pushed Emily's jeans down her hips until they bunched around her ankles at the floor.

Spencer then unhurriedly slipped her hand underneath the waistband of Emily's underwear and slowly ventured between Emily's legs. Spencer's fingers slid further downward until they came to rest over Emily's center. Emily closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled a heavy breath as she felt her heart beat even harder against her chest.

"And I swear I won't get mad at you." Spencer said, softly as she slipped her fingers into Emily's center and began a tortuously slow, massaging rhythm. "You've gotten to know my friends. I really wanna get to know yours too. You spend a lot of time with these guys."

"Mmm..." Emily groaned quietly at the pleasurable sensations created by Spencer's fingers as she subtly began to thrust slightly searching for more friction.

"Have I hit your price yet?" Spencer whispered into Emily's ear, her fingers moving slightly faster and her teeth gently grazing Emily's ear.

"My price is just a bit more to the left." Emily inhaled a sharp breath.

Spencer smirked to herself and pressed her lips to the architect's as she shifted her fingers over until they made direct contact with Emily's clit. Spencer could hear Emily's breathing becoming heavier by the moment as she increased the pace she was using with her fingers.

"Yeah. Right there." Emily mumbled into the kiss. "Shit."

"So...I can come to your poker game?" Spencer asked, breaking the kiss to look into Emily's dark, desire-clouded eyes.

"Okay. Okay. Yes. If you really want to. You can come."

"Good. Now so can you. Take your shirt off and get on the bed." Spencer removed her hand from Emily's underwear and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

 

"That was so good." Spencer cuddled up next to Emily and pulled the blanket up over both of their naked, sweat dampened bodies.

"Yeah. Wasn't bad. That's for sure." Emily said as a self-satisfied grin played across her face.

"I can't believe you left your socks on though." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with them?" Emily asked sticking her feet out of the blanket and raising her leg up to look at her socks. "They're fun."

"It's just a little hard to go down on you without laughing while you're wearing socks with dinosaurs wearing socks on them. It's bad enough when you wear your plain ones to bed."

"It's not just any dinosaur, you know. It's the Lochness Monster. Or I guess more accurately, the Sockness Monster." Emily laughed.

"Oh my God. You are the biggest kid I've ever met." Spencer chuckled as she gently raked her nails over Emily's bare abdomen.

"You can't be all serious all the time." Emily placed her arm around Spencer. "Besides, if you don't laugh during sex at least sometimes, you're obviously having sex with the wrong person."

"That's probably true." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's cheek and pressed her lips to the architect's. "I'm gonna get up and go to the bathroom in a minute. Then do you wanna read for a little bit? Or are you too tired tonight?"

"No, I'm good if you are."

"Okay. Can I wear your shirt? I brought clothes, but I like sleeping in yours better."

"Yeah, sure." Emily reached over the side of the bed and picked up the shirt that she had been wearing just a little while ago. "Do you want these panties too? Or no?" She held up the pair of red, lace panties Spencer had been wearing.

"Yeah, I'll take 'em."

"You know, these look so amazing on you." Emily said, handing the panties over to her girlfriend.

"You think so?"

"Totally."

"I know you pretty much always wear shorts, but I wouldn't mind seeing you in something like this sometime." Spencer said reaching underneath the blanket to slip her panties back on.

"I'm not so sure lace is really my style."

"It wouldn't necessarily have to be lace. Maybe just something different. I'd pretty much kill to get you in a thong."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I don't know if you realize this, but you have a fantastic ass."

"Thanks, Spence." Emily smiled.

"It's the truth." Spencer sat up and slipped Emily's shirt on, only bothering to button two of the buttons near the middle of the shirt. "I'll be right back." She leaned over and kissed Emily one more time before getting up out of bed.

After a few moments, Emily also got out of bed. She walked across the room to her dresser and took out a pair of underwear. She slipped the underwear up her legs and then took a sports bra out of her dresser and slipped it on as well. Emily walked over to the light and flipped the switch on as she exited the room. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she walked out into the kitchen. She took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and picked up her paperback copy of MacBeth from her desk in the living room.

When she returned to the bedroom, Emily sat down on the bed and leaned her back against the headboard. She opened the book and began reading over the first few pages.

"You're starting my all-time favorite play without me?" Spencer said, appearing in the doorway a few minutes later.

"Sorry." Emily looked up from the book. "Just getting a little head start. You'll catch up."

Spencer took her own book out of the bag she had packed and got back in bed. Spencer settled back into bed and cuddled up next to her girlfriend before opening her own book.

"You comfortable?" Emily asked.

"Mm hm." Spencer nodded. "Why don't we read the first few scenes, then we can stop and talk about it."

"Sounds good."

Emily shifted into a slightly more comfortable position as she resumed reading. After a few minutes, Spencer glanced up from her book to look at Emily. She watched as Emily's eyes intently skimmed over the pages. Spencer smiled to herself, thinking about how lucky she is to have someone so willing to take an interest in her passions.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, when she realized that Spencer was staring at her.

"Yeah. You're perfect. That's all." Spencer reached over and gently patted Emily's thigh.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, confused.

"You just are."

 

Later that night.

"Okay, so let me see if I have this all straight here...Um, Lady MacBeth-" Emily stopped speaking mid-sentence when she looked over at Spencer and realized that she was fast asleep with her book still open in her hands.

"We'll talk tomorrow." Emily said as she took the book from Spencer's hands and slipped a book mark in between the pages.

She then marked her own book and set both copies over on the night stand. Emily got out of bed and turned out the light. She pulled the blanket up over Spencer and gently slipped back into bed so as not to wake the brunette up. Spencer subconsciously moved closer to Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect.

"Goodnight, princess." Emily said softly as she pressed her lips to Spencer's forehead. "I love you."

 

Early the next morning.

Spencer shifted in bed and stretched out. She wrapped her arms around Emily and nestled her face against the architect's chest. Emily slowly opened her eyes and looked at her girlfriend.

"I didn't mean to wake you up. Sorry." Spencer reached over and gently ran her fingers over Emily's arm.

"It's okay." Emily glanced over at the clock on the night stand. "My alarm was gonna go off in like fifteen minutes anyway." Emily slipped her arm around Spencer's shoulder.

"When did I fall asleep last night?" Spencer said. "I was reading, but then I only remember waking up for a minute in the middle of the night with you spooning me."

"I just finished reading scene five. I started talking about it, then I realized I was talking to myself." Emily laughed.

"Sorry. I must have just passed out."

"It's all right." Emily leaned down and kissed Spencer on top of her head. "But, I should get up and shower."

"Not yet." Spencer wrapped her arms tighter around Emily and squeezed her. "You're so warm."

"I guess I do have a little extra time."

"So, what do you want me to bring for tonight?" Spencer asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. We're just gonna order a couple of pizzas and probably some wings."

"What time are the guys coming over?"

"I told them around seven. So for them, it'll be more like seven fifteen, seven thirty. Do you have plans for the day?"

"I have to register for my summer classes at U PENN, but that's it."

"Do you know what you're gonna take yet?"

"I have no idea." Spencer shook her head. "I'll have to see what I can get in to. I'll just be taking more general classes, so there should be a few good ones to pick from. I took a math and English class last summer, so I might try to do something different this time."

"I think it's awesome that you're taking classes to get ahead. Then you might be able to take less classes during your tougher semesters. Give yourself a break."

"Oh I definitely still plan on taking a full course load every semester. Even if some of the classes are just for fun."

"I should have known better." Emily laughed. "You would take classes just for fun."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Not a thing, baby. Not one single thing." Emily leaned down and kissed her girlfriend.

As they kissed, Spencer rolled over on top of Emily. Spencer opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Emily gently slipped her tongue into Spencer's mouth as her hands roamed down the brunette's back. Emily's hands eventually planted themselves on Spencer's backside. Emily closed her eyes and gave Spencer's butt a firm squeeze. Spencer then broke the kiss, only to begin placing a series of light kisses over Emily's neck and chest. It was only a few minutes later that Spencer found her way back up to Emily's lips. After a few moments, Spencer pulled back to look at Emily.

"You should probably go get a shower, before this goes too far. I don't want you to be late for work." Spencer said.

"Really? You're gonna turn me on like that and then give me nothing?" Emily joked.

"Sorry." Spencer laughed.

"Well, if you're really sorry, you could always join me in the shower..."

"I could. But, I don't think I want our first time together in the shower to be a rushed ten minutes."

"That's a good point. Wait. Why haven't we done anything in the shower before?"

"I thought you didn't like it." Spencer said. "When we first started dating, you told me shower sex wasn't all that great."

"I guess I was trying to convince myself I wasn't missing out on anything, since we weren't having sex. I mean, I still prefer the bed, but it can be fun in the shower sometimes too."

"We'll have to try it then." Spencer smiled.

"I'm game."

"Are you gonna wear your socks in there too?" Spencer said, sarcastically. "Or will you actually take them off?"

"Watch it." Emily laughed. She flipped Spencer over onto her back and straddled her waist while playfully pinning her wrists to the mattress.

"I'll go make you some breakfast while you shower." Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes.

"That's sweet of you. But, you don't have to do that. I'll just grab a piece of toast or something on my way out."

"You should have something more substantial than just a piece of toast. We've got time. I'll make you something way better." Spencer reached up and placed her hand on Emily's cheek.

"If you don't mind, I won't argue." Emily leaned down and kissed her girlfriend. "Thanks."

 

That morning Emily was gathering her tools from the back of her truck when she noticed her crew pulling into the driveway.

"Hey guys." Emily said, approaching the truck that her crew members were now stepping out of. "Thanks a lot for picking up the mulch for this landscaping. It saved me some time this morning."

"No problem, boss." Chris said. "It was on the way."

"Let's get started." Emily walked over to the bed of the truck, pulled out one of the bags of mulch and hoisted it up onto her shoulder.

As Mike pulled another bag of mulch out of the bed of the truck, Emily noticed him winch in pain as he lifted the bag.

"You okay, dude?" Emily asked.

"He's fine." Chris said. "He just overdid it at the gym last night."

"Oh yeah? Trying to impress a girl again?" Emily narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"She knows you way too well." Ben laughed.

"Oh come on, like you guys have never done that before." Mike rolled his eyes.

"I was actually kind of impressed myself." Chris said. "He managed to bench almost double his usual amount of weight."

"She was totally impressed too." Mike smirked. "I might be a little sore today, but it was worth it. I talked that chick up and we're going out this weekend."

"It actually worked? That's awesome." Emily shifted the bag of mulch on her shoulder and began walking through the yard, followed by Mike. "So how hot is she?"

"So hot, Em." Mike said. "You should've seen her. She had on these tight ass yoga pants and a sports bra. She had tits like you wouldn't believe. And lucky for me, she was on the treadmill almost the whole time. That was something I didn't mind watching."

"Yeah, until you have to try to hide an awkward gym shorts boner." Chris laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's pretty rough." Emily laughed. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that problem."

"Hey, we're still on for tonight, right? Your place?" Ben asked.

"Yep."

"Awesome. I'll stop and pick up some beers on the way over." Mike said.

"Don't buy that shitty stuff you always get." Chris said. "It's nasty."

"Yeah. It's like drinking piss water." Emily said. "I sign off on your paychecks. I know how much money you make. And I know you can definitely afford better beer."

"Do you want us to bring over anything else besides beer?" Ben asked.

"No, it's fine, but about tonight..." Emily hesitated.

"What about it?" Ben looked over at Emily.

"Um...Spencer's gonna be joining us-"

"Seriously? Come on, dude." Mike groaned.

"I thought you guys liked her?" Emily said.

"We do." Chris said. "But, these games have always been just the guys, you know?"

"Um, what do you think I am, exactly?" Emily rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean." Chris said. "You're different. You're not a typical girl. You're like us, minus the dick."

Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Man. I like Spencer and I'm glad you guys are together and everything, but the rule's always been no wives, no girlfriends, just us bros." Mike complained. "This is gonna suck. It won't be the same with Spencer there. We won't be able to be ourselves. We'll have to watch every little thing we say."

"No, you won't. It won't be that bad." Emily said. "Spencer promised she'd be cool. We can all just act how we normally would. She said she won't get mad. She really wants to get to know you guys."

"Fine." Mike groaned. "But, the pizza's on you tonight."

"Fair enough." Emily nodded.

"What made you invite Spencer anyway?" Ben asked. "We've never hung out before."

"She asked if I had plans and when I said yes and told her what I was doing, she asked if she could come. I originally said no, but-"

"She pushed and you caved?" Chris laughed.

"Pretty much. She had on this really sexy lingerie and it's not easy to tell her no when she's standing there unzipping your pants." Emily said, tossing the bag of mulch to the ground. "I was horny as fuck. I probably would have given her anything she asked for at that point."

"So weak, dude." Mike joked, shaking his head. "And you bitch about us thinking with our dicks. You're just as bad." He playfully shoved Emily's shoulder.

"I know, I know. I'm pathetic." Emily shook her head.

"I don't think we can be too hard on the old boss." Ben said. "Spencer's hot. Any one of us probably would have caved too."

"Does she even know how to play poker?" Chris asked.

"She says she does. I'm sure she probably knows the basics. We can help with the rest."

"She's bringing a lot of cash, right?" Mike said. "I mean she's fucking loaded."

"Take it easy. I'm not saying lose on purpose, but I don't want you taking advantage of her because she may not have a lot of poker experience." Emily said.

 

Later that evening.

Emily was in the middle of setting up a table in the living room when she heard a knock at the door. Emily opened the door to find Ben, Chris, Mike and Matt all on the other side.

"Hey, guys. Come on in." Emily said.

"Is Spencer here yet?" Chris asked.

"Not yet. She said she was on her way like ten minutes ago. She should be here shortly."

"Spencer's coming?" Matt said. "Like your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. This asshole broke the no girlfriends rule." Mike laughed.

"Sorry." Emily shrugged, looking at Matt. "I didn't really have much of a say. She wanted to come and-"

"Believe me, I get it. What the lady says goes." Matt laughed. "I'm sure she's cool. I can't wait to meet her."

"Thanks for not being an ass about it. Unlike some people." Emily said, looking over at Mike.

"Sometimes you gotta make sacrifices to keep your girl happy." Matt said. "Mikey wouldn't know that seeing as how he hasn't had a girl in practically forever."

"Yeah. Yeah. Why don't you guys just kiss already if you fuckin' love each other so much?" Mike said sarcastically. "Is there room in the fridge for this beer?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "You can just put it on the bottom shelf.

It wasn't long before Spencer opened the door to Emily's apartment and walked inside.

"Hey." Spencer said, setting a white grocery bag down on the table that Emily had set up in the living room.

"Spence, you know the guys." Emily said. "Except Matt."

"t's nice to meet you." Spencer smiled and extended her hand for a handshake.

"Hey, you too. I gotta say, you must be a saint to put up with this dude." Matt laughed, placing his hand on Emily's shoulder.

"She's pretty okay for the most part." Spencer chuckled.

"So, uh, where were you?" Emily asked. "I expected you'd beat the guys here."

"Oh, I just stopped to pick up some snacks." Spencer said. "And I got some paper plates. I figured it'd be less clean up."

"You're the best." Emily said. "Thanks."

"So, you guys ready for some poker?" Spencer asked.

"Ready if you are." Chris said.

"I just ordered the pizza a few minutes ago, so it should be here shortly." Emily said.

"Awesome. I'm starving. Someone deal the cards. I'm gonna grab a bowl for these chips." Spencer said as she took a bag of potato chips into the kitchen.

"Here, dude. You deal." Emily tossed the deck of cards to Ben. "I'll get us some beers. What can I get you to drink, Spence?"

"Just a bottle of water is fine, thanks babe."

When Spencer returned to the table, she sat down, next to Mike, leaving one remaining seat for Emily.

"Your cards have women in bikinis on them?" Spencer's tone was slightly annoyed as she looked up at Emily who was passing out bottles of beer to her friends. "How…"

Emily glanced at Spencer, giving her a look as to say 'you promised you wouldn't complain.'

Spencer gave Emily a small smile before speaking. "Hot. Check out the rack on her. Damn."

"Oh, I think we're gonna get along just fine." Mike chuckled, raising his hand to prompt a fist bump from Spencer.

"All right, guys. The name of the game's Texas Hold 'Em." Ben said. "You know how to play, Spencer?"

"I do." Spencer nodded, picked up her cards and carefully studied them.

"So, tell us more about the girl you're going out with this weekend." Emily's gaze shifted from her cards over to Mike. "What do you know about her? Besides that she's got great boobs?"

"Uh well, I've only talked to her a couple of times before at the gym. But, I know she's a student over at Hollis."

"Cool. What are you gonna do on your date?" Emily asked. "Besides try to score."

"We're just gonna go to dinner and a movie."

"What restaurant are you taking her to?" Ben asked as he tossed a few of his chips into the middle of the table.

"The Apple Rose Grille. I figured it would be best to go somewhere less expensive and in town. That way if she turns out to be a nutcase or something, it'll be easier to bail and I won't have blown a ton of cash on a shitty date."

"Makes perfect sense to me." Spencer laughed as she also tossed a few of her chips on top of the pile.

"Speaking of nutcases, hey Em, do you remember that one batshit crazy girl you hooked up with?" Chris laughed.

"Ugh. Don't remind me. That was a bad time." Emily groaned.

"What happened?" Spencer asked, curiously.

"We had sex literally one time and I ended up staying the night at her place. When I woke up the next morning, she was in bed on her laptop looking at wedding dresses and designing her own engagement ring on some jewelry website. She asked me what kind of ceremony I'd prefer."

"Oh my God. That's totally nuts." Spencer laughed. "What did you do?"

"I made up some lame excuse for needing to leave, grabbed my clothes and got the hell outta there. I mean, call me a commitment-phobe or whatever but that's insane. Who does that?"

"Well, that's what you get for sticking your dick in crazy." Mike snickered. "It's your own fault though. I warned you about her. I mean, I'm all for us getting laid, but it was almost two am and I told you to just go home and jerk off, but you had to fuck her anyway. You weren't drunk either, so you didn't even have that as an excuse."

"I thought you were just being dramatic. I didn't know she was literally crazy."

"I think we've all made some bad decisions at times when it comes to women." Ben said. "I raise." He placed two more chips onto the pile.

"Yeah. Did Em ever tell you guys about the time she tried to take home my sister's best friend?" Spencer chuckled. "And failed miserably?"

"Hey, I didn't know you or your sister at the time." Emily rolled her eyes. "And can we stop ripping on me here?"

"Emily failed at picking a girl up? Is that even possible?" Matt reached over and gave Emily a playful jab in the arm.

"You should have seen her when she was single. She could walk up to basically any girl she wanted and charm the pants right off of her." Chris said.

"Yeah. I think it's that innocent smile. Girls fall for it all the time. It's what makes her a terrible wing man." Ben raised his beer bottle to his lips. "She'd try to talk one of us up, but the girl would always just end up flirting with her instead."

After a few more hands, there was a loud knock at the door.

"Finally. That's gotta be the pizza." Emily said.

"You want me to get it?" Spencer asked.

"Nah. I fold anyway." Emily tossed her cards down on the table and stood up.

Emily opened the door to find a young, rather attractive female delivery driver.

"Hi, I have an order here for Emily."

"That's me." Emily pulled her wallet out of her pocket and took out some cash. "Here you go. Keep the change."

"Thanks a lot." The girl smiled.

"No problem."

The girl then handed Emily the order. "Have a good night."

"Thanks. You too." Emily took the boxes and walked back into the apartment.

"Man, I love it when they send the hot girl on the deliveries." Ben said.

"I know." Chris agreed. "I hope you gave her a bomb ass tip."

"Don't worry. I did." Emily walked into the kitchen and set the boxes down on the counter. "I always tip well when they're friendly."

"I bet you'd like to give her your tip." Spencer laughed, looking over at Chris.

"I wouldn't mind. She's fine as hell." He smirked.

After a few minutes, Emily brought a plate with two slices of pizza and a few wings on it over to the table and handed it to Spencer. "Here you go, Spence."

"Thanks."

"What about us? Where the fuck is ours?" Mike asked.

"Get off your ass and get it yourself. I'm not your slave." Emily rolled her eyes.

"But, we're the guests." Mike said.

"So what? Your legs aren't broken." Emily said.

"I see how it is. Maybe if I was a pretty girl, I'd get special treatment too. I thought we were friends." Mike said as he playfully bumped Emily with his shoulder. "I gotta go take a leak."

"Just make sure you wash your grubby hands when you're done." Emily said.

"Eat a dick, bro." Mike joked, as he walked past Emily toward the bathroom.

"I'm good. Thanks." Emily retorted.

"What flavor of wings did you get?" Matt asked, taking a plate from the counter.

"I just got the dry rub ones."

"Aw man. The hot ones are SO much better, dude." Ben whined.

"I know, but they're messy and I don't feel like having to clean up after you guys get wing sauce on all my stuff."

When Matt returned to the living room, his attention turned to the television screen as he noticed that the Phillies had just scored two runs.

"Nice." Matt mumbled, stuffing half of a slice of pizza into his mouth.

"Yeah, too bad the Phils still blow this year." Ben sat back down at the table. "They haven't had anything really even close to their two thousand eight World Series team in years."

"You a baseball fan, Spencer?" Chris plopped back down in his chair, gnawing every last bit of meat off of the chicken wing in his hand.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I love baseball. I don't even care that the Phillies suck. I'll still watch."

"No way, the Phillies actually scored?" Mike said sarcastically, reentering the room. "What's the occasion?"

"Bro, I'm gonna deal us another hand, are you in or what?" Ben said.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute." Mike grabbed a slice of pizza and shoved it into his mouth before picking up another slice and two wings in his hand.

"Dude. Use a fucking plate." Emily said. "I didn't put them out because they look nice on my countertop."

"Geez. Sorry." Mike mocked as he picked up a plate and piled his food onto it. "Anyone need another beer while I'm up? Unlike, Emily I can be nice."

Emily just rolled her eyes as she finished off the last of the beer in her bottle.

 

"Well, I think you boys underestimated me." Spencer sat back in her chair and leafed through a sizable stack of cash in her hand. "Lucky for you guys, it wasn't strip poker. Anyone up for a few more hands?"

"I'm about outta cash." Emily sighed.

"Same." Matt said.

"Me too." Chris agreed.

"Yep." Ben nodded.

"Nice that you failed to mention your girl's a total card shark." Mike said, sarcastically, looking at Emily. "Fucker."

"I didn't know." Emily laughed. "I asked if she knew how to play and she said yes. That was all that was ever mentioned."

"My grandpa taught me everything. He used to play in some pretty high stakes tournaments." Spencer said. "And I'm a pretty quick learner."

"No kidding?" Ben groaned.

"I wouldn't mind taking her to Vegas." Chris said. "We could make a killing."

"Yeah." Mike nodded, stuffing one more slice of pizza into his mouth. "When you turn twenty one, bud, we're all definitely taking a trip."

"I'm in." Spencer said.

"Well, I might be leaving flat broke, but at least we had a good time. And the Phillies actually won, so there's that." Matt laughed. "We should do this again soon."


	101. Chapter 101

The next afternoon.

Aria, Alison, Hanna, Mona and Spencer were all lazily lounging around in the Hastings' air conditioned living room, attempting to avoid the heat of the unusually humid Friday morning.

"So, what should we do today?" Spencer asked.

"We could go see a movie." Aria suggested.

"It's almost too hot to move. How are we supposed to even leave the house?" Mona whined, flopping down on the couch, next to Hanna. "I broke a sweat walking from your driveway to the door."

"True. It's miserable today." Spencer said. "I feel bad for Em and her crew. They're out working on a landscaping job."

"That really sucks for them. But, I can't say I'd mind watching that." Hanna said. "What's not to like about young, shirtless construction workers doing yard work and dripping with sweat?"

"Emily's guys are hot?" Mona questioned.

"They're not bad." Alison said. "Especially the younger-looking one. The one with the shaggier haircut."

"That's Mike." Spencer said. "I think he and Emily are probably the closest. They're always kinda bickering and picking on each other. He's like a little brother to her. It's actually pretty cute. You should have seen them together last night."

"You hung out with Emily and her crew?" Alison asked. "Instead of coming to the drive ins with us?"

"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "We played some poker and watched the Phillies' game. I used the lingerie I bought to my advantage to help convince Emily to let me come. So thanks, for helping me pick it out." Spencer glanced over at both Hanna and Mona. "It came in very handy."

"I'm not surprised Emily liked it, who could resist lace?" Mona said. "But, I don't get why you'd waste some totally hot lingerie seducing your girlfriend into letting you come to a poker game. Who wants to hang out with a bunch of dudes all night?"

"I actually had fun." Spencer laughed. "I wanted to get to know her friends better. And it was almost like a social experiment too. Guys are so different when they're all together. They're so much more relaxed than girls usually are. They tease each other and no one gets offended. They just joke, eat and watch sports. It's really low stress."

"Yeah, but they're still guys. Isn't it like non-stop obnoxious sex jokes and stuff?" Aria asked.

"I mean kind of. But, if one of them has sex, they all celebrate. They're all happy for each other. They don't get jealous or judgmental, you just get a punch in the arm and a 'way to go, dude.'"

"So, did they accept you as one of their own?" Hanna laughed. "Are you officially one of the guys now?"

"Yeah." Spencer chuckled. "I guess I am."

* * *

Later that evening. Spencer let herself into Emily's apartment. She walked through the living room and noticed Emily coming out of her bedroom as she gently towel dried her hair.

"Hey. I thought I heard someone come in." Emily draped her towel over her shoulders and kissed Spencer. "I didn't think you were coming over tonight."

"I was thinking we could Netflix and chill tonight." Spencer said. "If you want to."

"You mean you wanna have sex?" Emily laughed.

"Well, actually I do wanna watch something on Netflix. There's this political documentary that Casey recommended that I've been meaning to check out."

"You might be the only person on the planet who says "Netflix and chill" and means literally watch Netflix." Emily shook her head and sighed.

"I mean we can still do the sex thing later too." Spencer laughed. "I brought over some wine."

"I see you're putting that fake ID of yours, to good use, huh?" Emily chuckled, looking at the bottle of wine sitting on the counter.

"Nah. I brought it from home. My parents had a bunch of bottles in the cabinet. They'll never even miss it." Spencer said. "So I was thinking we can just stay in and relax." Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and buried her face into the architect's chest.

"That sounds great, but I didn't think you were coming over, so I told my cousin I'd babysit for him so he and his wife can go out. They should be dropping Lilly off any minute."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. Is it all right if I stick around anyway? I can help you babysit."

"Sure. If you want. Then later I'll watch that documentary with you."

"Perfect."

A few minutes later, Emily and Spencer were interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door.

"That must be them." Emily walked through her apartment to the door.

"Hi, guys." Emily said, opening the door. "Come on in."

Almost before Emily had the door all the way open, the dark haired six year old had already attached herself to Emily's leg.

"She's pretty excited about spending the evening with you." Amanda, Emily's cousin's wife, said.

"Good. Because we're gonna have a lot of fun." Emily said lifting the child up into her arms. "Right, kiddo?"

"Yeah!" Lilly exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck.

"I tired to get her to eat before we left the house, but she wouldn't-" Amanda's said. "She said she wasn't hungry."

"It's all right. I can feed her later." Emily said.

"Thanks a lot, Em." Emily's cousin, Josh, said. "We really appreciate you watching Lilly tonight."

"Not a problem at all. I'm happy to do it."

"She did take a bath earlier though, so you don't have to worry about that." Josh said.

"Sounds good. Josh, I don't think you've met my girlfriend, but this is Spencer." Emily turned and motioned to the brunette.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Josh said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You too." Spencer smiled.

"I know you met Spencer once." Emily said, looking over at Amanda.

"I remember." Amanda nodded. "She's the cute girl you brought to youth group who you swore you didn't have a thing for." She teased.

"Yeah well, I finally admitted it to myself and grew a pair and told her how I felt." Emily laughed.

"Her mom's thrilled, you know." Amanda said, looking at Spencer. "She likes you all lot."

"She definitely does. So, where are you guys going tonight?"

"We're having dinner in the city. I convinced Josh to take me to that French restaurant you built."

"Oh cool. I think you guys will like it." Emily said.

"I hope so. I'm a little nervous. I'm not really too sure about French food." Josh said.

"I'm definitely not that adventurous of an eater, but there's good stuff there. You'll be able to find something on the menu. Don't worry." Emily said.

"We should probably get going." Amanda said. "Our reservation is pretty soon. I don't wanna be late. We won't be gone too long."

"Take your time. We'll be fine. You guys deserve a night out."

"Thanks again, Em. We really do appreciate this." Amanda said. "Okay, sweetie you be good and listen to Emily, all right?"

"Kay. Bye mommy. Bye daddy." Lilly waved to her parents.

"Here's her stuff." Josh handed a bag that appeared to be stuffed full to Emily. "She insisted on bringing a ton of toys."

"Her teddy bear is in there too." Amanda said. "She won't sleep without it. Don't hesitate to call us if you need anything at all."

"You guys have a good time." Spencer said as Lilly's parents headed for the door.

"Thank you." Amanda said.

Amanda and Josh both waved goodbye one last time to their daughter before heading back to their car.

"What do you wanna do?" Emily set Lilly on the couch and placed her bag on the coffee table.

Lilly immediately jumped up and unzipped the bag.

"Let's play Barbies." Lilly said, rifling through the bag and pulling out several dolls.

Lilly handed one doll to Spencer and another to Emily. Emily took the doll she was given and noticed she was holding a small, plastic puppy in her arms.

"When did Barbie get a puppy?" Emily asked.

"That's Skipper. Not Barbie." Spencer said matter of factly.

"My bad." Emily laughed. "I'm not really up to date on my Barbies."

"I'm surprised." Spencer laughed too.

"Daddy says I can maybe get a puppy." Lilly said, as she pulled out some doll clothing from her bag.

"Oh yeah?" Emily said. "I love puppies."

"Me too." Spencer said. "Do you want a big one or a little one?"

"A little one." Lilly smiled as she began taking the clothing off of the doll in her hand. "With a squishy face and wrinkles."

"Those are my favorite kinds." Spencer said. "They're so cute."

"You're really lucky. I was never allowed to have a puppy." Emily said. "They're a big responsibility."

"I know. I can take care of one." Lilly said. "I'm a big girl now. I have to feed my fishy every day."

"You can do that all by yourself?" Emily said.

"Yep. He eats smelly fishy flakes."

"You really are a big girl." Emily said. "Taking care of a pet is a lot of work."

"Can you help?" Lilly said, looking up at Spencer.

"Sure, sweetie. What do you need?" Spencer asked.

"She wants to wear this." Lilly handed the clothing and her doll to Spencer.

"I love this outfit." Spencer took the clothing and began changing her outfit for Lilly.

* * *

Half an hour later.

Lilly set her doll down on the couch and looked over at Emily who was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Lilly then climbed into Emily lap and sat down.

"Do you wanna play something else now?" Emily asked.

"I'm hungry." Lilly said, placing a hand over her stomach. "Could I have something to eat. Please?"

"Of course you can. I'll make you something." Emily said. "You wanna watch TV until it's time to eat?"

"Okay." Lilly nodded.

Emily stood up and lifted Lilly up on to the couch.

"Do you need any help?" Spencer asked.

"I'm good. Can you just find something for her to watch?"

"Sure."

Once the food was ready, Emily placed a few chicken nuggets, a large spoonful of macaroni and cheese and some baby carrots onto a plate and set it down on the kitchen table.

"Lilly, are you ready to eat?" Emily asked.

"Yeah." Lilly jumped off of the couch and raced to the kitchen.

Emily pulled out one of the chairs and lifted her up.

"You like mac and cheese and chicken nuggets, don't you?" Emily said, sliding the plate closer to her cousin.

"Yeah!" Lilly said, excitedly. "My favorite foods. How did you know?" Lilly stared up at Emily.

"I know everything." Emily laughed. "Like, I bet you want some chocolate milk, right?"

"Yes. Please." Lilly replied.

Emily took a small glass from the cabinet and filled it with chocolate milk. She then set it on the table next to Lilly's plate.

"Thank you." Lilly said between bites of macaroni and cheese.

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Lilly took another chicken nugget from her plate and held it up toward Emily's mouth. Emily leaned down and took a bite.

"Good, huh?" Emily chuckled. "Thank you for sharing with me. That's really nice of you." Emily said as she placed a kiss to Lilly's cheek.

"I always share." Lilly said.

Spencer stood in the kitchen happily watching the exchange between Emily and her cousin.

"Spence, you hungry?" Emily asked. "I can make you something else."

"No. Chicken nuggets and mac and cheese is fine. Thanks."

"Okay. I'll get you a plate."

Emily put some food on another plate and handed it to Spencer. Emily and Spencer then sat down at the table with Lilly. After a few minutes, Emily noticed that Lilly was actively avoiding the carrots on her plate.

"If you eat everything on your plate, I'll let you have ice cream." Emily said, looking over at Lilly.

"Even the carrots?" Lilly said, turning her nose up as she pushed the carrots around.

"Even the carrots." Emily laughed.

"But, I don't like them." Lilly whined.

"They're good. See." Spencer said, taking a bite of one of the carrots from her own plate. "You gotta eat your vegetables. Don't you wanna grow up to be big and strong just like Emily?"

"I guess. I'll try." Lilly picked up one of the carrots with her fingers and tentatively took a very small bite.

"It's yucky." Lilly said as she chewed a few times before swallowing. "I'll share these." She smiled, pushing the plate closer to Emily.

"You're not getting off that easy, kid." Emily laughed. "I'll tell you what. If you eat two of them. I'll still let you have ice cream." Emily said. "How about that?"

Lilly groaned, but slowly took very small bites of carrot in between bites of macaroni and cheese and sips of chocolate milk until she had finished two whole carrots.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Emily said.

"Carrots are still yucky. I like ice cream better." Lilly said, matter of factly.

"Me too." Spencer chuckled.

"Finish your chicken nuggets first and then you can have the ice cream, okay?" Emily said.

"Kay." Lilly happily picked up another piece of chicken and nibbled on it.

* * *

"What do you wanna do now, Lil?" Emily asked.

"Let's play beauty shop!" Lilly dug around in her bag and pulled out a hair brush and a few bottles of nail polish.

"Oh good. My favorite." Emily muttered, sarcastically.

"Don't be rude." Spencer said playfully elbowing Emily in the stomach.

"Can you do my nails?" Lilly held up a bottle of purple nail polish to Spencer.

"Of course, sweetie." Spencer smiled.

"What should I do?" Emily asked.

"You can braid my hair. Like my mommy does for church sometimes."

"You got it."

Emily sat down on the couch and Lilly sat on the floor in front of her. Spencer shook up the bottle of nail polish in her hand and knelt down on the floor, across the coffee table from Lilly. Emily picked up the hair brush and gently brushed through Lilly's hair. Once her hair was smooth enough, Emily parted Lilly's hair down the middle and very carefully began braiding one pigtail.

"This is a really pretty color, Lilly." Spencer said, spreading a coat of polish over the tiny nail on Lilly's index finger.

"Purple is my favorite color." Lilly said.

"It looks really nice on you. The nail polish matches your shirt." Spencer said.

After a few minutes, Emily finished braiding one of Lilly's pigtails and moved on to the other side of her head.

"There you go. All done." Spencer said once she finished painting Lilly's nails.

"Thanks. I can do yours too." Lilly said.

"Okay." Spencer nodded. "How are you making out with her hair, Em?"

"Just about done here." Emily finished the braid and placed a hair tie at the end of the braid.

Spencer leaned over to look at Lilly's hair.

"I'm impressed. You do a pretty mean French braid, Em." Spencer said.

"Amanda taught me." Emily shrugged.

"I should let you do my hair sometime."

"Yeah. Sure thing." Emily laughed.

* * *

Later that evening.

Lilly was sitting on the couch in between Emily and Spencer watching TV, but she was clearly having trouble staying awake at this point.

"I think it's about time for you to go to bed, kiddo." Emily said.

"I'm not sleepy."

"I think you are." Emily laughed. "Let's get you into your pajamas and brush your teeth, okay?"

Lilly just nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Will you read me a bedtime story?"

"You bet." Emily stood up and lifted Lilly into her arms.

Once Emily had gotten Lilly into her pajamas, she took her tooth brush and toothpaste from her bag and took her into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"I'll lift you up, okay?" Emily said.

"Kay."

Emily put a dab of toothpaste onto the brush and lifted Lilly up into her arms, so that she could see herself in the bathroom mirror.

"You ready to spit?" Emily asked.

Lilly nodded and Emily lowered her down a little so that she could reach the sink. Once Lilly had rinsed her mouth, Emily set her back down on the floor and they walked back to the bedroom where they found Lilly's teddy bear sitting on Emily's bed, next to the story book that Lilly's mother had packed for her.

"You ready to get into bed?" Spencer asked.

Lilly ran over to the bed and climbed up. Spencer pulled the blanket down and waited for Lilly to get underneath. Spencer then tucked Lilly and her teddy bear in and Emily sat down on the edge of the bed with the book. Emily began reading as Lilly listened, tightly clutching her teddy bear. After only a few pages Emily looked over at Lilly who was now fast asleep.

"I knew she wasn't gonna make it much longer." Emily said softly.

Emily quietly stood up. She leaned down and gently kissed Lilly's forehead before turning off the light and heading out of the room with Spencer following closely behind.

* * *

That night after Lilly had gone home, Spencer glanced over at Emily, who was now absently staring straight ahead at the TV. Spencer noticed that Emily seemed distracted as she hadn't blinked for several moments.

"You okay?" Spencer reached over and patted Emily's leg.

"Yeah. I was just thinking." Emily stood up and walked to the kitchen. "That's all."

"About what?" Spencer asked, following her girlfriend.

Emily opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

"It's nothing." Emily said, dismissively. "Don't worry."

"Em, if something is bothering you. Tell me. Did I do something?"

"No. Not at all. It's just that, Bryce's birthday is on Sunday. It's been kind of a rough day for me, the last couple of years, you know?"

"I understand." Spencer said, sympathetically. "I don't know how it couldn't be tough for you." Spencer walked over to Emily and wrapped her arms around the architect. "You miss being a mom, don't you?"

"I do. Sometimes." Emily nodded, returning the embrace.

"I can tell. Lilly brought that part out of you tonight. You were so good with her though. She really loves you. You're gonna make some lucky little girl a very happy daughter someday."

"You think so?"

"Oh absolutely. There's not a single doubt in my mind." Spencer reached up, placed her hand on Emily's cheek and kissed her.

"Thanks, Spence. You always know how to make me feel better. So, you still feel like watching that documentary?"

"Sure. You wanna open this bottle of wine?" Spencer asked, taking the bottle out of the refrigerator.

"Are you gonna stay the night?"

"Mm hm." Spencer nodded.

"Then, yes. I could use a little something to help take my mind off of things."

Emily reached over and slid open one of the drawers and took out a bottle opener. After Emily removed the cork, she filled two wine glasses and handed one to Spencer. Spencer picked up the bottle and brought it into the living room where she placed it on the coffee table. Spencer turned on the documentary and sat down. When Emily joined her in the living room, she sat down on the couch and placed her arm around the brunette's shoulder.

"This is pretty good wine." Emily said, taking a sip from her glass. "Now what did you say this documentary was about again? Something about government?"

"Yeah. It's about corruption in the U.S. government and conspiracy theories. That kind of thing."

"Cool. Sounds interesting."

* * *

Later that night, Emily and Spencer both found themselves to be a bit tipsy after nearly finishing off the rest of the bottle of wine. Spencer sloppily kissed Emily as her hands wandered up underneath Emily's t shirt and over her back. Emily slipped her fingers into Spencer's hair and slid her tongue into the brunette's eager, open mouth. Emily leaned Spencer's back against the arm rest of the couch and straddled one of her thighs. After a few minutes, Emily broke the kiss. She pulled back and yanked her own shirt up over her head. Emily tossed her shirt aside and in an instant her lips were back on Spencer's and her tongue back inside Spencer's mouth. Spencer moaned into the kiss as she scratched her nails up and down the exposed flesh of Emily's bare back. Spencer giggled a little when she felt Emily's lips connect with her throat.

"I had so much wine." Spencer laughed as she stared up at her girlfriend.

"Me too." Emily chuckled.

"I think I'm a little drunk." Spencer laughed again.

"You want me to stop?" Emily asked.

"No way." Spencer laced her hands into Emily's hair and smashed her lips against the architect's.

"You wanna take this to the bedroom?" Spencer asked when the kiss was eventually broken as her hands wandered around to the front of Emily's jeans and she quickly undid the button and zipper. "Your bed's a lot more comfortable."

"Fuck yeah. Let's go." Emily jumped up off of the couch and grabbed Spencer's hand, pulling her to her feet.

Spencer stumbled behind Emily to the bedroom. Emily quickly pulled her jeans down her thighs and kicked them off once they reached her feet. Emily lifted Spencer up and laid her down on the bed. She immediately began popping open the buttons on Spencer's shirt as quickly as possible, her lips simultaneously connecting with Spencer's neck. After she undid all of the buttons, Emily quickly removed the brunette's shirt. In her intoxicated state, Emily was more than delighted to discover that Spencer hadn't worn a bra.

"You didn't wear a bra." Emily smirked, staring down at her girlfriend with glazed, desire clouded eyes.

"I don't always need to." Spencer giggled, drunkenly. "I have small tits, remember?"

"No you don't. They're perfect." Emily felt her own nipples straining against her bra. She pulled her bra up over her head and quickly tossed it away. "I love them."

Spencer felt Emily's hands possessively sliding up her body and groping at her breasts.

Spencer's nipples stiffened beneath Emily's palms. Spencer sunk down into the mattress and closed her eyes, her arousal steadily increasing as she felt Emily pinch her nipples in between her index finger and thumb. Emily then grabbed Spencer's hands and pinned them to the mattress on either side of the brunette's head as she leaned down and began aggressively kissing and sucking Spencer's neck. Spencer knew that there would almost certainly be a telltale mark or two in the morning, but at this point she was too drunk and much too aroused to give it a second thought. After a few minutes, Emily released Spencer's hands only to resume groping at Spencer's breasts.

"Em." Spencer groaned, slipping her fingers into Emily's hair. "Will you wear the strap on? I want you to fuck me."

"Yeah. You got it." Emily yanked her own underwear down her legs and kicked them off.

Emily reached over into her night stand and took out the strap on. Emily quickly slipped the harness up her legs and secured it around her waist.

"Can I fuck you from behind this time?" Emily slurred. "It'll be fun. I promise."

Spencer stared up at Emily without speaking for a moment.

"Are you talking about...uh...like..." Spencer swallowed hard, her eyes meeting Emily's.

Emily stared down at Spencer for a few long moments, confused by her reaction.

"Oh no." Emily shook her head, when she finally realized what Spencer was thinking. "No no. Not THAT. I just meant like doggie style."

"Oh." Spencer breathed a small sigh of relief. "In that case, yes." She nodded. "Let's do that."

"I mean unless you're cool with the other thing." A smirk crossed Emily's lips as she suggestively raised her eyebrow. "Then I'm definitely game." Emily leaned down and aggressively kissed Spencer.

"Don't get too excited, stud." Spencer giggled, placing her hand on Emily's chest. "I love you and I like trying new things, but I don't think I'm ready to get that adventurous."

"No problem." Emily replied without skipping a beat, she leaned down and placed an off center, messy kiss to Spencer's lips. "Either way, I think you'll probably still want me to give you a little warm up, huh?"

"Couldn't hurt." Spence grinned.

"Let's get rid of these." Emily kneeled on the bed and gripped Spencer's panties in her hands. She quickly yanked them down her girlfriend's legs.

Spencer heard the sound of the garment tearing as Emily pulled her underwear down her calves.

"Oops. I accidentally ripped your underwear. Sorry." Emily said, shyly.

Spencer sat up a little and looked at the garment in Emily's hand.

"You're way too strong for your own good." Spencer chuckled. "Especially when you're drunk."

"I'll buy you a new pair or like ten or something. What ever you want. I swear, I didn't mean to. I hope you're not mad at me." Emily rambled, not realizing that Spencer was kidding. "Don't hate me."

"Do you think I actually care, babe? It's only underwear. Come here." Spencer pulled Emily down on top of her, their lips crashing together in a passionate kiss.

After a few moments, Emily pulled away from Spencer's lips and began leaving a trail of heated kisses across Spencer's chest. Spencer moaned loudly and gripped the bed sheets in her hands when she felt Emily take one of her nipples into her mouth and begin sucking and flicking her tongue over the sensitive area.

"Fuck, Em." Spencer groaned when she felt Emily eventually release her nipple and begin moving lower.

Emily continued sloppily kissing her way down Spencer's abdomen. The architect stopped just short of her girlfriend's center. Spencer propped herself up on her elbows and stared down at her girlfriend. Emily glanced up at Spencer, their eyes meeting.

"What are you waiting for?" Spencer asked.

"Sorry." Emily laughed.

Emily then spread Spencer's legs further apart and dropped her head down. Emily took one long, slow lick with her tongue. Spencer closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure when Emily's tongue brushed over her hardened clit. Spencer reached down and laced her fingers into Emily's har; she tugged on the architect's dark locks. Spencer couldn't help but squirm on the bed and push Emily's head down when she felt Emily take her clit into her mouth and begin sucking.

"God." Spencer exhaled heavily and tightened her grip on Emily's hair.

Emily groaned softly and began thrusting her hips into the mattress, desperately searching for friction and any amount of relief that she could possibly get at the moment. Emily took a few more sloppy strokes up Spencer's center with her tongue. She teasingly circled her clit and then lifted her head to look at her girlfriend.

"Can I go in now?" Emily stared up at Spencer, a dense fog of arousal residing in her dark eyes. "You're wet enough, right? You gotta be. I don't mean to brag, but my oral game is strong as fuck." Emily snorted.

"Yeah, it is." Spencer laughed. "And yes, I'm ready."

"Sweet." Emily got up onto her knees and reached over into her night stand for a condom.

Emily quickly ripped open the condom package and clumsily rolled it on.

"Are you gonna get on your knees?" Emily asked anxiously, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.

Spencer got up and kneeled on the bed, facing her girlfriend. She looked up at Emily who was practically salivating as she very eagerly waited for her to turn around.

Spencer took the silver cross that hung around Emily's neck between her fingers and gently tugged on it, pulling Emily slightly forward. "Listen. Just doggie style. Don't put it anywhere else, okay?" Spencer dropped Emily's necklace and slowly drug her index finger down the architect's chest.

Emily furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm drunk and horny." Emily's words slurred a bit. "But, you already said no. You don't have to tell me again. I'd never try-" Emily shook her head. "I know what no means. I'm not an asshole."

Spencer smiled. "You're not at all." She placed her hand on Emily's cheek. "Even drunk you're still a better person than most people are sober."

Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's and slipped her tongue into the architect's mouth. Spencer shuddered at the sensation of Emily's hands sliding up and down her naked body. Spencer was eventually the first to break the kiss, she turned away from Emily and got onto her hands and knees. Emily was almost immediately behind her. Emily took the shaft of the toy into her hand and slowly entered her girlfriend. Spencer groaned at the sensation of fullness, when she felt Emily's hips come to rest flush against her backside. Spencer gripped the bed sheets beneath her body in tight fists as she felt Emily begin to thrust. Emily groaned loudly as her hands slid up Spencer's back and around to her breasts. Emily squeezed Spencer's breasts and pinched her nipples as the pace and force of her thrusts steadily increased. A few minutes later, Spencer let out a high-pitched squeak and in her drunken state, she slightly lost her balance after receiving a particularly hard thrust from Emily.

"Shit. I'm sorry." Emily said. "Too hard?"

"Not hard enough. I just wasn't ready for it." Spencer craned her neck to look at Emily and cocked one of her eyebrows. "Keep going, babe. I know you're stronger than that." Spencer encouraged. "I'm ready this time."

"Okay." Emily resumed thrusting, her pace quicker, with shorter and much more forceful strokes.

Spencer closed her eyes, her arousal heightening each and every time she heard one of Emily's low husky grunts resonate in her ear. Spencer then felt Emily stop and shift inside of her for a moment, she assumed that Emily was trying to attain a better angle. Emily then tightly gripped Spencer's hips, holding her firmly in place as she resumed pumping in and out of her girlfriend's center. Each time Spencer heard the loud slapping sound of Emily's thighs connecting with her backside echo throughout the room, she knew that Emily was all the way inside of her and penetrating deeper than she ever had before. Now, Spencer found herself desperately needing an extra boost, she moved her hand from its position on the bed, she reached back between her legs and began rubbing quick, tight circles on her own clit. Spencer hoped that Emily wouldn't be offended that she was somewhat taking matters into her own hands, but she was too aroused to dwell on the thought. Little did Spencer know that Emily wasn't the slightest bit offended, she actually found herself even more turned on.

"Fuck." Emily groaned, feeling her stomach clench, signaling her orgasm approaching much more quickly than she had expected. She closed her eyes for a few moments, attempting to slightly calm her arousal and suppress her climax for just a bit longer.

Emily then suddenly pulled out of Spencer's body, much to her girlfriend's surprise and displeasure.

"Em. Why-" Before Spencer could even protest, Emily silenced her.

"Lay down on your back. I wanna watch you come." Emily said huskily, her breath hot on Spencer's ear.

Spencer flopped down on her back and spread her legs as fast as she possibly could. Almost before her head even made contact with the pillow, Emily was already poised kneeling in between her thighs and the tip of the toy perched at Spencer's entrance. Emily took the base of the toy into her hand and slipped it back into Spencer's body. Emily placed her hands on either side of Spencer's shoulders and stared down at her girlfriend as she resumed steadily sliding in and out.

"Em." Spencer moaned loudly.

Spencer stared up into Emily's eyes. She couldn't help but notice that Emily hadn't taken her eyes off of her since they had changed positions. Spencer wrapped one of her hands around Emily's forearm. Emily's skin was warm in Spencer's hand and she could feel the muscles clenching beneath her fingertips as a small bead of perspiration rolled down Emily's forearm, stopping only when it came into contact with Spencer's hand. Even in the dim light of the bedroom, Spencer could still see small droplets of sweat glistening across Emily's chest, shoulders and forehead.

"Fuck." Emily grunted, her heart thumping hard against her chest. She leaned down and captured Spencer's lips with her own as her body glided over top of Spencer's.

As they kissed, Spencer slid her hands up the small of Emily's back and up to her shoulders. Spencer held on tightly to Emily's shoulders and sunk her fingernails into the sensitive flesh. Emily eventually broke the kiss and pressed her forehead against Spencer's. Spencer whimpered softly as she began moving her hips upward in time with Emily's thrusts.

"I really hope you're close..." Emily whispered breathlessly, her thrusts becoming shorter and quicker and losing all sense of rhythm. "'Cus I'm pretty sure I'm gonna-"

"Me too. Don't stop, Em." Spencer moaned, dragging her nails up and down Emily's back. "Please."

Emily's arousal skyrocketed at the sensation of Spencer's nails digging into her skin, she had no idea if Spencer knew at all just how much this turned her on. Emily buried her face into Spencer's shoulder. At this point, Emily was so swollen and hard that even the slightest movements either she or Spencer made, caused the base of the toy to stimulate her most sensitive area in a way that drove her absolutely crazy.

"Shit." Emily gently sunk her teeth into Spencer's shoulder as she finally allowed herself to submit to her climax.

As she climaxed, Emily continued thrusting as best as she could. The post-orgasm stimulation was quickly becoming overwhelming, but luckily for Emily, Spencer was already very near the edge. Spencer squeezed her eyes closed and laced her fingers into Emily's hair, she felt her walls begin to contract around the toy as a scorching heat crept up her body.

"Oh, Em!" Spencer cried out, a strong wave of pleasure rushing through her entire body.

Spencer's body pulsed with small aftershocks as Emily's thrusts slowed to a halt. Emily's chest heaved, her breathing heavy as she slowly came down from her high. Emily hoped that Spencer had orgasmed too because she was almost certain that she wouldn't be able to tolerate any more stimulation and she knew that she was too exhausted to even attempt anything else. When Emily pulled out, the tip of the toy brushed against Spencer's clit, causing her legs to involuntarily twitch as one more jolt of pleasure raced through her body. Emily removed the condom from the toy, which she tossed into the trash can next to the bed. She then removed the harness and dropped it to the floor before rolling off of Spencer and collapsing onto her side.

"Em?" Spencer glanced over at Emily who was already loudly snoring away on the other side of the bed.

Spencer laughed out loud and reached down to the bottom of the bed for the blanket which she pulled up over both she and Emily. Spencer moved closer to Emily and nestled her face against the architect's sweat dampened chest.

"I love you." Spencer said as she placed a gentle kiss to Emily's collar bone.

* * *

Early the next morning, Emily was pulled from her sleep when she heard her alarm ringing next to her bed. She slowly opened her eyes and reached over to shut the alarm off. Emily glanced back over her shoulder at Spencer who was pressed tightly to her back, her arms wrapped around Emily's body.

"Spence? You up?" Emily asked, stretching out her legs.

"I'm up." Spencer replied.

"You feel okay? Are you hung over?" Emily rolled over.

"No. I think I'm all right. Just a little headache."

"You want me to get you an aspirin or something?"

"Oh. No thanks. I'll be fine. It's nothing a little coffee can't cure. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry if last night wasn't that great. I shouldn't have had so much to drink. Obviously I'm not at my peak performance when I'm drunk."

"Is anybody? But, last night was good, Em. Really." Spencer smiled. "I mean except for the fact that you passed out immediately after we were done."

"Sorry about that. I must have been pretty tired."

"Well, you did work pretty hard." Spencer pressed her lips to Emily's. "But, you still owe me some cuddling."

"Sure." Emily wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Sorry about the hickey too." Emily ran her fingers over the noticeable mark on Spencer's neck. "I got carried away."

"It's okay. Make up will cover it." Spencer said. "You're pretty passionate when you're drunk. You're a lot less shy and tentative once you really get going. "

"Yeah. A little liquid courage will do that." Emily laughed.

"I don't remember putting this shirt on though." Spencer looked down at Emily's black, v neck t shirt that she was now wearing.

"I do." Emily said. "I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and when I came back, you said you were cold. So I got you a shirt and turned off the ceiling fan."

"Thanks, babe. You're the best."

"No big deal. I'll always take care of you. But, I should probably get up and get ready for work."

"Right now? Do you have to?" Spencer whined. "We just got up."

"I know, but I have a meeting with a client soon. I wanna make sure I have time to shower and get down to my office."

"Okay." Spencer groaned and hesitantly let go of Emily.

"Sorry." Emily rolled over and kissed Spencer. "I'll make it up to you."

"Oh yeah? How?" Spencer smirked.

"I'm sure I'll come up with something. Do you have any plans for the day?"

"Not really. Not yet anyway."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Emily was sitting at her drafting table working on a design when Spencer walked in with Aria, Hanna and Mona.

"Hey." Emily smiled and stood up when she noticed Spencer walk into the room. "What are you guys up to?" Emily asked as she kissed Spencer's forehead.

"We were just at the movie theater down the street and I just thought I'd stop by to see how your meeting went."

"It went pretty well. They're a couple who live just outside of the city. I'm designing a guest house for them."

"Your office is really cool, Em." Hanna said, her eyes skimming over a few books about construction on the bookshelf.

"Yeah. It's really nice." Aria agreed.

"Thanks. I'm still working on getting everything in place. But, so far it's working out nicely."

"Is this your portfolio?" Aria pointed to a large leather bound album sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Yeah. It's some of my stuff." Emily nodded.

"Is it okay if I look?" Aria asked.

"Sure. Go ahead."

Aria opened the album and began to leaf through Emily's portfolio filled with many sketches and photos of finished products.

"Your portfolio is awesome." Aria said. "Your work is beautiful."

"Your portfolio might be great, but your website's pathetic, hun." Mona said. She was sitting in Emily's desk chair and looking at the computer screen.

"Mona." Spencer chided, pushing Mona's hand away from the computer mouse.

Spencer knew that she shouldn't be surprised by the brunette's blunt comment and borderline rudeness, but Spencer still found herself slightly offended.

"No. She's right." Emily said. "I've pretty much just relied on word of mouth references since I graduated. So I haven't been too focused on putting my website together."

"You need a good website." Mona said. "Word of mouth references are fine, but with a good website you'll be able to reach so many more people."

"True." Emily nodded. "But, I haven't really had much time to work on the site and when I actually do sit down to work on it I just get frustrated because I can't figure out how to get the links to work."

Mona began typing and clicking the mouse. After a few minutes, she had fixed some of the links.

"How did you do that?" Emily leaned down and stared over Mona's shoulder at the computer screen. "I tried so many times-"

"I'm good with computers." Mona shrugged. "I can help you build a website if you want. I could make you a Facebook page too. It's all about social media now."

"That'd be great. I'd be happy to pay you to do it. It'll be worth it. I'm sure it'll turn out way better than if I keep trying to mess with it myself."

"We can put your portfolio online and your clients can browse through it any time they want. I also think it might be fun if you did a like 'meet the staff' section too."

"Yeah. You could put up a pictures and little bios for you and your crew." Spencer said.

"Yeah." Mona agreed. "It could help build a better relationship between you and your clients. They might feel like they already know you and that could help them feel more comfortable with you being in their houses."

"Makes sense to me." Aria said.

"I'd also suggest getting a picture of you up on the homepage." Mona said.

"Don't you think that's a little narcissistic?" Emily said. "I want people to hire me based on my credentials, the quality of my work, fair estimates and my competence as an architect and a contractor."

"They will definitely hire you based on all of those things. But, if I'm a potential client browsing architectural firms to hire and I come across several architects with very similar credentials and good quality of work which one am I going with, Han?" Mona turned to look at Hanna.

"Whichever one has the cutest architect, of course." Hanna said, matter of factly. "No question."

"Exactly." Mona laughed.

"Okay, that's ridiculous." Emily said.

"No. It's marketing." Mona said. "And you're much more marketable than some old, bald fat guy. If you can use your image to your advantage, do it."

"She has a point" Spencer said. "Besides, who wouldn't hire you after seeing you in your tool belt?"

* * *

That evening when Emily returned home from work, she pulled her phone from her pocket and texted Spencer.

Hey. Just got home from work. You busy?

Hey. :) not really. What's up?

You wanna come over? We can go out to dinner or something.

Sure. I'm dropping Aria off at Noel's, then I can come pick you up. See you in about half an hour.

Okay. I'm going to grab a shower. Just let yourself in. ;)

Emily smirked to herself. She quickly walked outside to her truck and took her tool belt out of the back. She then walked back toward her door. She noticed Gwen leaving her own apartment.

"Hey Gwen." Emily waved to her friend.

"Hey." Gwen smiled. "Doing a little maintenance?" She asked, noticing the tool belt in Emily's hand.

"Something like that." Emily nodded, trying to conceal the small smirk that was slowly creeping across her lips. "What are you up to?"

"Not too much. Just going out for a couple of drinks with some friends."

"Cool. I hope you have a good time."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

Emily then walked back into her apartment as Gwen got in her car. Emily headed into her bedroom, she tossed her tool belt onto her bed, plugged her phone into its charger and quickly headed to the bathroom. Once Emily had gotten out of the shower, she went back into her bedroom and opened the top drawer of her dresser, where she pulled out a pair of black underwear as well as a black sports bra. Emily dried herself off and discarded her towel before slipping on her underwear. She then pulled on her work boots. Emily picked up her tool belt from the bed and buckled it around her waist. She then pulled her hair back into a ponytail. A few moments later, Emily heard someone entering her apartment.

"Em?" Spencer called out. "You ready to go eat?"

"I'm in the bedroom." Emily answered.

Emily stood in front of her bed and placed her hands on her hips, smiling brightly as she waited for her girlfriend.

Emily found herself extremely surprised as well as completely mortified when she noticed not only Spencer, but also Hanna and Mona appearing in the doorway as well.

"Shit." Emily crossed her arms over her chest and squeezed her eyes closed.

Emily's skin immediately flushed as she felt a surge of heat flood her cheeks, neck and chest.

"Is that a hammer in your tool belt or are you just really happy to see us?" Hanna laughed.

"It's definitely a hammer." Emily groaned.

"Oh my God." Spencer's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"Man." Emily shook her head. "Not that I mind, but why didn't you give me a heads up that you were bringing your friends with you."

"I did tell you." Spencer laughed again. "I texted you. Didn't you get it?"

"No. I threw my phone on the charger before I got in the shower, I didn't look at it when I got out."

"Why didn't you just tell me you wanted to have sex when you texted me?" Spencer snorted.

"I was trying to be spontaneous. And I'm never doing it again." Emily pinched the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb. "I sent you a winking face when I texted you-"

"Oh sorry. From now on I'll assume every time you send me a winking face it means you're horny." Spencer said sarcastically.

"Oh God." Emily groaned.

"You know, I gotta say, this would be the perfect picture for your homepage." Mona took a few steps forward and placed a hand on the small of Emily's bare back. "Don't you think so, Spencer? Great, right?"

"I agree." Spencer nodded. "I'd hire you in a second."

"I bet you'd get a ton of clients practically begging you to work for them." Mona said.

"Or at least plenty of women willing to stuff your tool belt full of dollar bills." Hanna laughed.

"Are you kidding? My mother and my grandmothers are probably gonna see this website. I'm already humiliated enough with you guys seeing me like this." Emily sighed.

"You really shouldn't be." Hanna said. "I've seen both Mona and Spencer more naked than you are right now."

"Would you guys mind just giving us a minute here?" Spencer asked.

"A minute?" Hanna said. "I think Emily deserves more credit than that. At least based on what I've heard." She smiled and winked at Emily. "Take however long you need. An hour...two hours. Whatever. The Grille's not going anywhere."

"I think two hours is being extremely generous for me." Emily snorted. "Just let me put some clothes on and we can head out."

"Come on, Mona. Let's go wait in the car."

"Okay. But, before we do, I gotta know something."

"I'm afraid to ask." Emily said.

"What's your secret for body hair removal?" Mona asked. "I mean there's no stubble or even peach fuzz anywhere on you. There's literally nothing."

"Uh, I used to swim competitively. We were supposed to shave or wax everything that wasn't covered up by our swimsuits. Anything that might have helped cut even a fraction of a second off of my times, I tried. I had pretty good luck with waxing. My hair grew back a lot finer so it's not as tough to get rid of anymore. I mostly just shave now, but I still wax every so often. No real secret, just very regular maintenance."

"That's too bad. I was really hoping for some easy trick."

"If there were an easier way, trust me I would have found it." Emily said. "I tried everything except laser treatment. It was just way too expensive."

Once Hanna and Mona left the room, Emily walked over to her closet to get some clothes. Spencer noticed a frown on Emily's face.

"Hey, come here." Spencer reached out and took Emily's hand. "I'm sorry this didn't work out how you planned. I love that you did this for me."

"Are you at least a little turned on?" Emily asked

"Are you kidding? You know I've been fantasizing about this exact image since I met you." Spencer eyed Emily up and down. "If Mona and Hanna weren't with me, I would have jumped on you the second I walked in. Look at you."

"I'm just glad Alison wasn't with you." Emily said.

"Why?"

"She's kinda judge-y. I'm embarrassed enough as it is with Hanna and Mona seeing me like this and they were nice about it. At least I don't have deal with Alison judging me. I don't think she'd ever let me live it down."

"But, you don't have be embarrassed. What's there to judge? All six of your abs?" Spencer joked.

"Wait. You can tell there are six?" Emily said, looking down at her stomach. "Or are you just trying to make me feel better?"

"No. There are definitely six." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's stomach and kissed her. "One…two…three." Spencer gently traced Emily's abdominal muscles with her fingertips. "four…five…six."

"That's awesome." Emily said, excitedly. "I've been working out pretty hard. But, I didn't think I was really getting any definition. So, remind me, what happened in your dream again."

"You tucked my hair behind my ear, leaned forward and kissed me." Spencer said, biting her lip.

"Like this?" Emily reached up and gently tucked a lock of Spencer's hair behind her ear. Emily stared into Spencer's eyes, she slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips to her girlfriend's.

Spencer wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and slipped her tongue into the architect's mouth. Spencer slowly ran her hands over Emily's shoulders and down over her smooth, bare arms. As her tongue worked against Emily's, Spencer's hands slowly made their way back down over Emily's abdomen, her fingers wandering over hard muscles.

"Spence?" Emily mumbled into the kiss.

"Yeah?"

"Hanna and Mona are waiting for us in the car."

"Oh. Right." Spencer said, hesitantly pulling away from her girlfriend.

"I love you." Emily placed her index finger underneath Spencer's chin, tilted her head up and kissed her one more time. "Did I tell you that in your dream?"

"No. But, it doesn't matter. Now, I have a reality that's so much better than any dream."

* * *

It was Sunday morning when Emily returned to her apartment from church. She slipped her blazer off and tossed it over the back of the couch. She made herself a cup of coffee and took her phone out of her pocket. Emily selected her mother's contact from her list of favorites and pressed the phone to her ear as it began to ring. After just a few rings, Pam answered.

"Hi honey. How are you?" Pam asked.

"I'm good. How are you and dad?"

"Oh we're fine. We just got home from church. We went to early mass."

"Me too. I just walked in a few minutes ago."

"Your voice sounds a little scratchy. Are you sick?"

"No. I slept with the fan on the last couple of nights and I just woke up with a little bit of a sore throat. That's all."

"You should make yourself some tea."

"I don't think that's necessary. I have some coffee here."

"Coffee doesn't soothe a sore throat like some nice tea will. I bought you some of that honey lemon tea you like when we were visiting. There should be some in your cabinet." Pam said. "I'm glad you called. I was about to call to check in on you. How are you really doing today, baby? Are you all right?" Pam said, sympathetically.

"Mom, I'm fine. Honest. It's only a sore throat. I'll survive."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I know Bryce's birthday hasn't been an easy day for you. I want you to know it hasn't been easy for me or your dad either."

"I'm sure. You were in the delivery room with us for most of Stephanie's labor. It's hard to forget."

"She was in labor for such a long time. I didn't think Bryce was ever coming out."

"Me either." Emily laughed a little. "You know I was basically okay, but when I was leaving church, I got into my car and when I started it, I happened to glance at the clock. And it was exactly nine thirteen. Nine thirteen a.m. eight pounds two ounces, nineteen inches long. It was like I was in the delivery room, holding him for the first time again."

"Sweetie..."

"They had his birthday party yesterday. He had a Spiderman party. Stephanie posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook. I didn't wanna look, but I couldn't help it, you know?"

"I saw them too." Pam said. "I can't believe Bryce is three already. He's getting so big."

"Yeah, he is. So is Lilly. Spencer and I babysat the other night so Josh and Amanda could go out and you know how much I love kids, but sometimes it's so hard. I don't know if jealous is exactly the right word, but I don't know how else to describe it. Spencer asked me if I missed being a mom and I do."

"I understand, honey. Being a mother is a wonderful job. And when the right time comes, you'll be a great mother again."

"Thanks. Sorry, mom. I know you don't like talking about this." Emily cleared her throat.

"No. Emily. I'm glad you're finally talking about your feelings. That's good. It helps." Pam said. "The reason I've usually tried to avoid talking about it is that I didn't want to upset you."

"I was talking to dad when I was home. When I first saw Stephanie again. I told him I don't care about Steph-that sounds bad. What I mean is that I don't have feelings for her anymore, like romantically. Spencer's taken care of that."

"I know what you meant." Pam said. "I know you'd never wish any bad on Stephanie. Even after all she put you through."

"Right. But, I told dad, I've already let Steph go and I asked him when I'd be able to let Bryce go too. I asked him when it would stop hurting. He told me it was going to take time. I'm trying, but just when I start thinking I'm doing a little bit better, these feelings all come crashing back. It hits me and it hurts all over again."

"I know it does, Em. It hurts when I think about it too. I never told you this, but before I was pregnant with you, I miscarried four times. It's not exactly the same kind of situation, but I know what it feels like to lose a child. It's hard, but it's even harder once you've gotten to know and love them."

Emily could hear her mother softly sniffling on the other end of the phone.

"I-I had no idea-"

"Just when your dad and I had almost lost hope, I found out I was pregnant with you. We didn't tell any of our family or friends until after I had made it through the first trimester and the risk of miscarrying dropped. I told your dad that you were going to be our miracle baby. And you were. We wanted for you to have siblings, but after you were born, my doctor said it would be too risky to try to get pregnant again. We thought about adopting, but it was hard enough with your father being away and having to constantly pick up and move so often with just one child. When Bryce was born, it made me remember how much I loved and missed having a baby around."

"Mom. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you."

"It's all right. If I didn't go through that, we may never have gotten you."

"Well, you're the strongest woman I know."

"You're strong too, honey. That's how I know you'll be fine. You can get through anything. God gives the toughest challenges to the strongest people. And he doesn't give us anything he knows we can't handle."

"You're right. Thanks, mom. I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby. So, how's Spencer?" Pam asked, changing the subject.

"She's good. She registered for summer classes at U PENN and I'm taking her to see MacBeth in New York City. Not this weekend, but next weekend."

"I'm sure that'll be a lot of fun for you two."

"Yeah. I hope so. She's excited. It's her favorite play. We started reading MacBeth together so that I'd know what it was about."

"Are you enjoying it?"

"It's really interesting so far. Some of it is a little hard to understand, but I like it. We're going to the show with her cousins."

"The ones I met at Spencer's graduation?"

"Yep. Bridget and Casey."

"They seemed really sweet. Casey seemed like she might have a little crush on you."

"I think she just likes that I'm nice to her. It sounds like she's had a lot of run ins with a lot of jerks."

"That's too bad. Poor thing."

"Yeah. She's a nice girl. She's a lot like Spencer. No wonder they're related. Oh and I forgot to tell you. One of Spencer's friends is helping me finally get my website up and running."

"That's great. I can't wait to see it. I'm so happy everything's working out so well for you. Do you have any idea how proud I am?"

"Thanks, mom."


	102. Chapter 102

It was early on Tuesday morning when Emily heard her alarm clock loudly ringing next to her bed. She quickly reached over and turned off the alarm. Her head throbbed, her throat was sore, her sinuses and chest were congested and her shirt clung uncomfortably to her torso due to the excessive amount of sweat that had accumulated all over her body. Emily rolled over onto her back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Over the course of the next twenty minutes Emily tried and tried to will herself to get up out of bed and get ready for work, but she found herself too exhausted to do so. It was a few minutes later that Spencer walked into Emily's apartment.

"You about ready to go, Em?" Spencer asked as she walked into the bedroom.

Spencer noticed that Emily was still in bed and her usually tan skin was noticeably pale.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." Spencer set her bag down on the end of the bed.

"I'm fine." Emily's voice was noticeably scratchy and weak. "I just need to get a shower or else I'm gonna be late for work and you're gonna be late for class."

"I think you should stay home today." Spencer placed the back of her hand on Emily's forehead and then moved it to one of her cheeks. "You definitely have a fever."

"I can't miss work." Emily coughed and tried to clear her throat. "I have a lot to do. I have a ton of drafting to work on and we're trying to finish that landscaping job...I-"

"Em, you're sick. You can't work like this. Especially not outside in this heat. You can take a day off. It'll be fine."

"But, I-"

"No buts. You're gonna stay right where you are and take it easy. I'll text Mike and let him know you're staying home."

Emily nodded and sighed as she sunk down into the mattress.

"I felt fine last night. I don't know why I feel so horrible this morning."

"Maybe you picked up a bug from Lilly the other night and it's just now getting to you." You did have a little bit of a sore throat these last few days."

"Maybe. Kids are germ magnets so it's definitely possible. I'm sorry, Spence."

"Why are you sorry?" Spencer asked, gently running her fingers through Emily's hair.

"I said I'd drop you off on campus. We were supposed to meet for lunch." Emily said, staring up at her girlfriend.

"Aw. Sweetie. Don't worry about that. It's not a big deal. I'm gonna go to class and as soon as I'm done I'll come right back here and take care of you. Are you gonna be okay by yourself for a few hours?"

"I'll be fine. I'll probably just try to get some sleep. I didn't do anything but toss and turn all night." Emily said, shifting in her bed to sit up a little.

"Poor thing. You sweated completely through your shirt. You're soaked."

"It sucks. One minute I'm freezing and the next I'm drenched with sweat. I just can't get comfortable." Emily tugged at her sweat dampened t shirt.

"Why don't you take that shirt off. I'll get you a dry one."

Emily pulled her t shirt up over her head and tossed it to the floor.

Spencer pulled a white tank top out of the top drawer of Emily's dresser and walked back over to the bed.

"Here." Spencer handed the tank top to Emily. "Do you need anything before I go to class?"

"I don't think so." Emily slipped her shirt on and laid back down.

Spencer took a tissue from the box next to the bed and gently dabbed away the perspiration from Emily's forehead.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? I'll bring you some medicine." Spencer placed her hand on Emily's shoulder as she leaned down to kiss the architect's forehead.

"No rush. I'll be all right.

"Get some rest. I'll see you shortly."

* * *

Later that afternoon Spencer arrived back at Emily's apartment and walked into the bedroom. When Spencer realized that Emily was asleep, she quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her. Spencer unpacked the grocery bag she had brought in with her and went to work preparing some home made chicken soup.

Emily eventually got up and wandered out into the kitchen when she found Spencer stirring the pot of soup on the stove.

"Hey, you're up. How are you feeling?"'

"A little achy and still kinda tired, but okay. Better than this morning."

"Good." Spencer placed the back of her hand to Emily's forehead. "You don't feel as warm and you look like you've gotten a little color back in your face. Do you feel like eating? Your soup should be about ready."

"You made me chicken soup." Emily smiled.

"Sure. You'd do the same for me. Wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would."

"Here. Taste this." Spencer dipped a spoon into the pot and raised it to Emily's mouth.

"That's really good. It actually tastes just like my mom's homemade chicken soup."

"Well, it is her recipe. I asked her for it. She said you like the thick noodles and extra chicken. Have you talked to your mom today?"

"No...You called her?"

"Yeah. I wanted to get her recipe and find out if there was anything specific she does for you when you're sick. She said she'd call and check in to see how you were feeling sometime this afternoon."

Spencer took two boxes of medicine out of a bag and handed them to Emily.

"I got you something for the congestion. And some cough syrup. Your mom said you'll only take the orange flavor." Spencer chuckled.

"All cough medicine is gross. Orange is just the least gross. Thanks a lot, Spence." Emily said opening the box of cough syrup."I appreciate you taking such good care of me."

"No problem. It's my job. Do you wanna eat in here? Or I can bring some soup to the bedroom if you want."

"I can eat in here."

"Okay. Why don't you sit down. I'll make you a little bit of tea. You're gonna eat and go back to bed. And I'm gonna stay with you tonight in case you need anything."

"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine. I don't wanna get you sick."

"It'll be all right. I'm not worried about it."

"I take it you're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?"

"I think you know me well enough to know that persistence is one of my strong points. Besides someone's gotta look after you with your mom being a thousand miles away."

Spencer placed both of her hands on either side of Emily's face and placed a gentle kiss to her girlfriend's forehead.

* * *

Friday evening.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come to the party with us?" Spencer asked, looking over at her girlfriend.

"It's not that I don't want to. I would, but I really need to catch up on my drafting. Missing the whole day on Tuesday put me behind."

"Okay."

"I wish I was going. You look great." Emily's eyes roamed up and down Spencer's long, toned legs in her short skirt and knee high boots.

After a few moments, Emily was able to tear her eyes away from Spencer and recompose herself. She then picked up her motorcycle helmet.

"You're taking your bike?"

"Yeah. It's a pretty nice evening. I could use the fresh air. So, who's party did you say this was again?" Emily asked. She placed her helmet under her arm, took her motorcycle gloves from her jacket pocket and slipped them on.

"A friend of Noel and his brothers. He's a junior at Temple, I guess. It's at his frat house."

"Wait, it's a frat party?" Emily said uneasily.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Are you sure going to a frat party is a good idea? Those things always get busted. I don't want you and your friends to get in trouble."

"It'll be fine. It's just gonna be a really small thing. A few people I know from U PENN are going. But, I doubt it'll get out of hand. There aren't nearly as many students in the area over the summer."

"I mean, I guess so...but..." Emily shrugged.

"I'm not even drinking. I said I'd be the DD."

"All right." Emily nodded. "I'll see you later then?"

"Sure. I'll come back here after I take everyone home."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna head out. Are you gonna be leaving soon too?"

"Yeah. In a few minutes. I just wanna fix my make up first."

"Can you lock up when you go?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. I'll see ya later." Emily leaned forward and kissed Spencer. "I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful."

"I always am." Emily winked. "Have a good time."

* * *

Later that evening.

Spencer had been standing around talking with a two of her friends from U PENN when they were approached by a tall, handsome and very heavily muscled young man. He was wearing a Temple University football t shirt and had a beer bottle in his hand.

"Hey." He said, looking at Spencer. "You're friends with Noel, right?"

"Friends is a term we'd probably use very loosely." Spencer laughed. "But, he's dating my best friend so we're kinda stuck with each other."

"Guess so." He laughed too. "I'm Jake, by the way."

"I'm Spencer."

"Spencer. I like that. It's a really pretty name."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled. "Are you on the football team or do you just like Temple football?"

"Yep. I'm a linebacker. I'm really hoping Noel's planning on going out for the team in the fall. He's a pretty good quarterback. We could use one."

"Don't worry. He's definitely planning on it. He's convinced he's gonna make first string right away."

"He's always been pretty cocky. Like his brothers." Jake laughed. "But, he probably actually does have a good shot at making first string."

"Could you tell us where the rest room is?" One of the girls Spencer had been talking to asked.

"Down the hall here." Jake pointed over his shoulder. "It's the first door on the left."

"Thanks. We'll be back, Spence."

"Sure." Spencer nodded as her friends walked off.

"So, do you go to Temple? I know I've never seen you on campus."

"No, I don't. I'll be starting at U PENN in the fall. I took a couple of classes last summer and I'm taking a couple now."

"U PENN, huh? That's a pretty good school."

"That's what I read in all of the pamphlets." Spencer chuckled.

"What are you going to be studying?"

"Business. I'm ultimately planning on getting my MBA from Wharton."

"Wow. You certainly shouldn't have any trouble at all getting a job with a business degree from Wharton."

"Mm hm." Spencer nodded. "That tends to look pretty good on a job application. What are you studying?"

"Biology. Pre-Med."

"That's great. My brother-in-law is a doctor." Spencer smiled. "You must keep ridiculously busy with classes and football."

"Definitely. My schedule gets pretty crazy sometimes."

"I bet. I keep myself busy too. It's not always easy making time for a social life. But, it's manageable."

"Well, maybe if both of our schedules ever line up we could make plans to go out sometime?" Jake asked.

"Oh." Spencer smiled. "I really appreciate you asking," She said, politely. "And I'm flattered, but I'm seeing someone already."

"Pretty lucky guy, then."

"Actually, I'm dating a girl."

Spencer watched as a look of surprise crossed Jake's facial features.

"Seriously? You're way too hot to be a lesbian."

Spencer immediately took offense to the comment. "Being a lesbian has nothing to do with a woman's looks."

"Well, have you ever dated any guys?"

"A few." Spencer nodded. "I just never felt for any of them the way I feel for Emily."

"You probably just haven't-"

"Please don't say 'I just haven't been with the right guy.'" Spencer interjected. "That's stupid and the easiest way to offend a gay person."

"What if it's the truth though?" Jake said.

"Well, going by your logic, how do you know you're really straight?" Spencer countered. "Maybe you just haven't met the right guy." She mocked.

"Please. I'm one hundred percent straight." He said matter of factly. "Come on, just give me a shot. I can show you what's it's like to be with a real man. You won't even give a second thought to dating women. No girl has ever turned me down."

"You know what they say, there's a first time for everything." Spencer shrugged. "I'm gonna go find my friends."

"Wait." Jake said, taking Spencer by the wrist.

"Unless you're about to apologize for being a total ass, I'm not interested in anything else you have to say."

"Okay. Okay. You're right. I was a jerk. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Jake said, sounding sincere. "You have a girlfriend and I do respect that."

"Do you mean that?" Spencer said.

"Yes." He nodded. "I just don't ever click with a girl right from the start like this. I think it just surprised me and I got disappointed when you said you were seeing someone. I promise, I'm not usually a jerk. Must be hanging out with Noel too much." He laughed.

"Possibly. Hanging out with Noel sometimes has that effect."

"So, this is supposed to be a party, we should be having fun." Jake said. "I'm gonna go grab another beer. Can I get you something to drink? You wanna beer? Or I can get you something else if you want."

"Just a soda would be great. I volunteered to drive tonight."

"Sure. No problem. What kind would you like?"

"Anything is good. Whatever you have is fine."

"Comin' right up."

After a few minutes Jake returned with a fresh bottle of beer in his hand and a red plastic cup filled with soda.

"Root beer okay?" Jake asked.

"Sure. Thanks." Spencer said, taking the cup.

As they talked for a few more minutes, Spencer slowly sipped the soda in her cup.

"Everything okay?" Jake asked, when he noticed Spencer scrunching up her nose after swallowing a larger sip of her drink.

"Yeah. This root beer just tastes a little off. I think maybe it's just flat."

"Either that or it's because it's the generic stuff. My friends are cheap asses." He rolled his eyes. "You want something else instead?"

"No. This is fine. It's not that bad."

It was only about five minutes later that Spencer's head began to ache and she felt slightly off balance. Spencer placed her index and middle fingers over her right temple and rubbed in slow circles, trying to bring herself a little relief.

"Are you all right?" Jake asked.

"I just got a headache all of a sudden." Spencer closed her eyes, attempting to steady herself.

Spencer stumbled a few steps forward. Jake reached out and caught her. He took the cup from her hand and set it down on a near by table along with his beer.

"I think I need to sit down. I'm dizzy." Spencer said, she squeezed her eyes closed as her head throbbed more intensely. She found herself becoming extremely sensitive to every sound in the room from the music that was playing to the chatter of people talking and moving about the house.

"Maybe you should lie down. You don't look so good." Jake said. "Come on, I'll help you to one of the spare bedrooms."

In her disoriented state, Spencer held onto Jake's arm as he slowly led her across the room. As they made their way down the hall, Aria and Hanna caught a glimpse of Spencer from across the room and noticed that their friend didn't look well at all.

"Spence? Are you all right?" Aria asked, quickly approaching her friend.

"I just got sick all of a sudden." She said, now very unsteady on her feet. "I think maybe I caught Emily's cold." Spencer said groggily.

"Do you think you need to throw up?" Hanna asked.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Let's get you to the bathroom." Hanna said, taking Spencer's arm.

"I was gonna have her lie down." Jake said. "She said she was dizzy."

"I think we should take her to the bathroom just in case." Aria said. "She looks sick."

Aria slipped her arm around Spencer's waist and she and Hanna then slowly walked Spencer into the bathroom, closed the door and helped her to sit down on the cool tile floor.

"Spence, did you drink anything?" Aria asked.

"Just some soda."

"Are you sure you didn't have any alcohol?" Hanna said.

"Yeah. All I had was just a little bit of root beer a few minutes ago."

"There's no way you can drive like this and the rest of us are too buzzed to drive. I'm gonna call Emily." Hanna pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jeans.

"No. I'll be fine." Spencer said. "I just need a minute."

"Spence. You can barely stand up on your own." Aria said. "I really think we should call Emily."

"Okay." Spencer spoke weakly and nodded.

"Is Emily coming?" Aria asked as soon as Hanna got off the phone.

"Yeah. She said she'll be here in just a few minutes."

"Hang tight, Spence." Hanna placed her hand on Spencer's back and gently rubbed it up and down. "Emily will be here soon. We'll get you home."

It wasn't long before all three girls heard a knock at the bathroom door.

"Hey. It's Emily. Can I come in?" Emily said.

Aria stood up and unlocked the door before opening it.

"Spence. Are you all right?" Emily knelt down on the floor next to her girlfriend. "What happened?" Emily took Spencer's chin in her hand and lifted the brunette's head to look into her eyes.

"I...I don't know. I just got sick all of a sudden."

"Were you drinking at all?" Emily asked.

"No." Spencer shook her head. "I didn't have any alcohol. Just one cup of soda, that's it."

"I think maybe we should take you to the emergency room to get checked out." Emily said.

"I'll be fine. I think I probably have what you had earlier this week. Just take me back to your place."

"Spence. I really think you should see a doctor. This doesn't seem like a cold. Let me take you to the ER."

"Okay." Spencer said, knowing she didn't have the strength to protest and further.

"Let's get you out of here. Can you stand up?" Emily asked.

"I think so."

"Here. I'll help." Emily wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and slowly helped her to her feet. "Just lean on me, all right?"

As they slowly walked toward the bathroom door, Emily could feel Spencer leaning heavily on her for support. Spencer tightly clutched Emily's arm, taking small, slow steps. As they walked back out into the living room area of the house they passed by Jake who was standing talking to Noel and Caleb.

"What's wrong?" Noel asked.

"Spencer's not feeling well." Emily said. "If you want a ride back to Rosewood, we're leaving now."

Noel and Caleb set their drinks down on the nearest table and followed their girlfriends out the door and to Spencer's car.

"Do you have your keys?" Emily asked.

"In my purse."

Emily unzipped Spencer's purse and fished her hand around inside until she found the keys. Emily unlocked the doors and helped Spencer into the front passenger seat.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked as she buckled Spencer's seat belt.

"I still feel dizzy."

"Just close your eyes. We'll, get you to the ER soon." Emily closed the door and got into the driver's seat.

"What about your motorcycle?" Spencer said.

"I'll get it later. It's not important."

* * *

"I don't think Spencer needs a whole entourage at the hospital." Emily said. "Can I drop you guys off at home and I'll let you know when we know something?"

"We can't leave Spencer." Hanna said. "She wouldn't leave us."

"But-" Emily began to protest.

"When we get to the hospital, Caleb and I can just walk back to my place." Noel said. "It's only a few blocks. Then the girls can stay with her. You can text us when you find what's going on."

"Okay." Emily nodded.

When they arrived at the hospital, Emily helped Spencer out of the car and into the building. They spoke to the receptionist and sat down in the waiting room.

"They should see you soon." Emily said, helping Spencer sit down. "How are you feeling now?"

"About the same. Nauseous, dizzy and my head hurts." Spencer said, weakly.

"You're not gonna pass out, are you?" Emily asked.

"I don't think so."

"Hang in there." Emily reached over and took Spencer's hand in her own. "It doesn't look like there's many people here. It can't take too long for them to get you in." Emily gently ran her thumb over Spencer's hand.

It was only a few minutes later that Spencer was called. A nurse took her vital signs, documented her symptoms and gave her a hospital bracelet.

"All right. Let's get you into a room." The nurse said.

"Is it okay if she comes with me?" Spencer reached for Emily's hand.

"Of course." The nurse nodded.

The nurse then had Spencer sit down in a wheel chair and she pushed her down the hallway with Emily following closely behind. When they got to the room, the nurse helped Spencer up from the chair.

"Go ahead and put this gown on. You can leave your underwear on. Do you think you can give us a urine sample?" The nurse asked, placing a small plastic cup on the table next to the bed.

"I can try."

"All right. I'll be back in just a minute."

When the nurse left the room, Spencer sat down on the bed.

"Here, I'll get your boots off." Emily gently pulled off each of Spencer's boots and set them on the floor next to the bed.

Spencer removed her shirt and unzipped her skirt. She slowly shimmied out of the skirt and placed it at the bottom of the bed. Emily picked up the gown and held it up for Spencer to slip her arms through. Emily tied the gown closed in the back. Emily then walked Spencer to the bathroom.

"I'll wait outside the door." Emily said. "Let me know if you need anything."

While she waited, Emily picked up Spencer's clothing from the end of the bed and folded it neatly before setting it down on one of the chairs in the room. When Spencer finished giving her urine sample, she washed her hands and opened the bathroom door to find that the nurse had already returned to the room. Spencer handed the cup to the nurse.

"Just go ahead and lie down. I'll need to take some blood."

The nurse put on a pair of fresh gloves and proceeded to draw some blood from Spencer's arm.

"I'll send this to the lab along with your urine sample and the doctor will be with you shortly. Press the red call button on the remote if you need anything."

"Okay. Thank you." Spencer said.

When the doctor entered the room, she greeted Spencer and Emily. She confirmed Spencer's symptoms and looked her over thoroughly.

"You said that you were at a party?" The doctor asked. "But, you didn't drink any alcohol?"

"None." Spencer said. "I had one cup of soda and a bottle of water earlier, but that was it all night."

"Are you taking any medications?"

"No."

"Do you ever smoke, drink or do drugs?"

"No." Spencer shook her head.

"You said your head was bothering you. Are you having any pain anywhere else?"

"Not really. I've just felt dizzy, nauseous and a little disoriented."

"Okay. We'll get you some medication to help ease your headache and your nausea. We should have the results of your blood and urine tests back soon. That should hopefully shed some light on what's going on and we'll go from there."

"I'll send the nurse in with some medication." The doctor stood up and gently patted Spencer's arm.

* * *

"How are you feeling now, Spence?" Emily asked, taking Spencer's hand in her own.

"Better. My headache's almost gone."

"Good. I think we should probably call your parents and let them know you're here."

"Don't do that. We don't even know what's wrong. It's probably nothing. There's no sense in worrying them for no reason."

"Well, I guess we could at least wait until your test results come back."

It was about forty five minutes later that the doctor re-entered the room.

"Are you feeling any better?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah." Spencer sat up. "My stomach feels better and the headache is almost gone."

"Good. I have the results of your blood work and urine test. They've detected the drug Gamma-hydroxybutyrate in your system." The doctor said as she sat down on the stool next to the bed.

"What...is that?" Emily furrowed her eyebrows, a very concerned expression crossing her face.

"That's a date rape drug, isn't it?" Spencer's breath caught in her throat. She felt her heart drop down to her stomach and she felt sick all over again.

"It does have some medical uses, but frequently it is used as a date rape drug, that's true." The doctor nodded. "You didn't take anything willingly at the party, did you?"

"No. Of course not. I would never."

"I'm glad you came in tonight. This drug dissipates in the body very quickly and then becomes basically impossible for our tests to detect even as little as four hours later."

"Are...are there any long term effects of this drug?" Emily asked.

"If it's used frequently there can be some adverse effects and severe withdrawal symptoms."

"So, she's gonna be okay, right?" Emily swallowed the lump in her throat.

"She'll be perfectly fine. The drug has probably for the most part run it's course, by now."

The doctor then looked back over at Spencer.

"You're much more alert now. As long as you're feeling better, we can go ahead and let you go home. I would also strongly suggest calling the police and filing a report. I'll go write up your discharge instructions. You can take your time getting dressed and you're free to go whenever you're ready."

"Thank you." Spencer said, trying her best to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes at any moment.

When the doctor left the room again, Spencer turned to Emily. Tears had begun flowing down Spencer's cheeks as she thought about what could have happened to her. Emily leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"It's okay." Emily gently ran her hand up and down Spencer's back. "You're all right."

"Do you have any idea who might have done this to you?" Emily asked.

"I-only talked to a few people tonight." Spencer said. "I only had the one drink. Noel's friend got me a drink. He asked me out and I said no. I told him I had a girlfriend. At first he was kind of a jerk about me turning him down. But, then he apologized and offered to get me a drink. He must have slipped the drugs into it without me noticing. He was only across the room. He was never even out of my sight. I-I-" Spencer rambled.

"First, I'm gonna call your parents and let them know what happened. Then we're gonna go to the police."

"No. Please don't. Just take back to your place. I just wanna go to bed and forget this whole night even happened."

"But-"

"Em. Please. I don't want everyone to know." Spencer sniffed.

Emily reached up and wiped a tear away from Spencer's eye.

"Okay. We'll go back to my apartment for now." Emily placed her hand on Spencer's cheek. "We can deal with this in the morning."

"Thank you."

Emily reached over and took a tissue from the box next to the bed and handed it to Spencer.

"Do you need help getting dressed?"

"No. I feel fine now. I can do it."

"Should I go tell Aria and Hanna what happened?"

"I guess we have to." Spencer said.

"I'll be back in just a minute." Emily placed a kiss to Spencer's forehead and laid her clothes down on the end of the bed before leaving the room.

As soon as Aria and Hanna saw Emily walk into the waiting room, they both anxiously stood up.

"Is Spencer okay?" Hanna asked.

"She is now." Emily nodded.

Emily then explained what had happened to Aria and Hanna.

"He drugged her?" Hanna said. "What a low life piece of-"

"I know." Emily cut Hanna off. "I can't even begin to explain how angry I am right now."

"You know I thought there was something I didn't like about that guy when I met him." Aria said. "But I couldn't figure out what it was."

"Which one was he?" Emily asked.

"The guy Noel and Caleb were talking to when we left." Aria said.

"I'm just glad we got to Spencer first." Hanna said. "He was walking her down the hall and told us he was going to 'have her lie down.'" Hanna made air quotes. "Because she wasn't feeling well. But, Aria insisted we take her to the bathroom. That's when I called you."

"You guys are good friends. Thanks for looking out for her." Emily hugged both Aria and Hanna.

"Did you call her parents?" Aria asked.

"I want to. But, she won't let me."

"But, they can probably get that guy's ass thrown in jail." Hanna said.

"I know. She's just really overwhelmed and vulnerable right now. I'm gonna take her back to my apartment and let her sleep. Then in the morning, I'm gonna try to talk her into telling her parents and calling the cops. I'm glad she let us bring her here. Now, she'll have the hospital records to back up her story."

"Can we come with you? Back to your apartment." Hanna asked.

"Sure. I think it'd be good for Spencer to have you guys with her tonight. Maybe you can help me convince her into telling her parents tomorrow. She listens to you guys. She's getting dressed now. We'll be out in a few minutes."

* * *

When they arrived back at Emily's apartment, Emily found some clothing for Aria, Hanna and Spencer each to sleep in.

"Why don't you guys take my bed and I'll stay out on the couch."

"I just thought of something." Spencer said.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

"Your bike. It's still sitting outside of the frat house." Spencer said.

"I can go pick it up tomorrow."

"But, it'll probably get vandalized or stolen if you leave it there all night." Spencer said. "You should go get it."

"It's only a bike. It's okay." Emily said.

"I'll feel bad if something happens to it. You love that bike. I love that bike too. Go get it. I'll drive you." Spencer said.

"No, no, no. If you really think I need to go get it. I'll take a cab and drive back." Emily smiled at the thought of Spencer being so concerned over something so trivial after all that had happened that night.

Emily called a cab and after about ten minutes it arrived outside of her apartment.

"You try to get some rest. I'll be back in just a little while." Emily took her jacket off of the hook next to the door and walked outside.

"Come on, Spence. You really should try to get some sleep." Aria took her friend by the hand and walked with her toward the bedroom.

* * *

When Emily arrived back in Philadelphia, she saw her motorcycle, completely unharmed, parked exactly where she had left it. Emily walked over to the bike and noticed that their were a few people drinking and smoking cigarettes on the porch of the frat house. She put on her leather motorcycle gloves and picked up her helmet. As she went to place her helmet on, Emily looked up and saw Jake sitting on the ledge of the porch with a beer in his hand. She felt a sudden sensation of rage overwhelm her. As much as she tried to ignore him and thought she should allow Spencer's parents and the police department to handle the situation, she couldn't help the desire to take matters into her own hands.

Emily placed her helmet back down on the seat of her bike and stormed up the porch stairs.

"Who the hell are you?" Jake asked, taking a drink from his beer bottle. He was obviously heavily intoxicated and clearly didn't recognize Emily from earlier in the night when she picked up Spencer and her friends.

"I'm Spencer's girlfriend. You know Spencer. The girl you tried to take advantage of tonight." Emily said angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said casually. "But, when she told me she was a lesbian I at least assumed her girlfriend would be hot. Clearly, I was wrong." He laughed.

Emily ignored the insult. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. So what, a girl says no and then you don't give her a choice? That's the kind of guy you are? That's pretty fucking pathetic. You're a disgusting pig."

"Look." Jake stood up, chest puffed out, he was few inches taller than Emily and much larger, but that didn't cause her to back off even a bit. "I don't know who you think you are. The bitch said she was sick so she left. I didn't force her to stay."

"You drugged her. She didn't just get sick." Emily spat back, taking a step toward Jake, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "She got sick because you roofied her-"

"She just need a little something to help her chill out. That's all." Jake said casually. "I did her a favor. I just hope she's not that uptight when you fuck her. I'm a little sorry I never did get a crack at her though." He said smugly. "She would have been a pretty good slut, lying there-"

Emily wasn't about to allow him finish his thought. She clenched her fist as tightly as possible and swung as hard as she could. Before he could even react, Jake felt Emily's fist connect with his jaw. In his intoxicated state, he stumbled backward and into the front door. The door frame cracked against his body weight, He dropped his beer bottle which shattered all over the porch before he landed flat on his backside with a loud thud. His bottom lip had been split open. He turned his head and spit out the blood that had filled his mouth.

"That was for Spencer." Emily said. She then turned and made her way back to her motorcycle, her heart thumped hard against her chest and her hand throbbed. Though she was still furious, she still hoped that Jake wouldn't get up and try to retaliate.

Emily put her helmet on, straddled her motorcycle and drove off into the night.

* * *

When Emily got home, she hung up her jacket and removed her left glove. She then went to remove her right glove which she had been dreading due to the fact that her hand was swollen, sore and she could feel a little blood dripping down her knuckles. Emily walked into the kitchen, she winched in pain as she slowly pulled the material away from her hand. Emily took a few sheets of paper towel and gently dabbed the blood from her knuckles. The skin around her knuckles was very visibly split open, but she was almost sure that nothing was broken. As Emily continued dabbing the blood from her hand, she heard someone enter the kitchen.

"Oh my God. What happened?" Hanna said, rushing over to the counter where Emily was standing. "Were you in an accident or something?"

"Ssshhh." Emily quickly prompted Hanna to keep her voice down. "I wasn't in an accident. I'm fine. It's no big deal. Don't worry. How's Spencer?"

"She's okay. She's sleeping."

"Good."

"I'm gonna get you some ice." Hanna found a plastic baggie and took some ice from the freezer. "Do you have a towel?"

"There are some dish towels in that second drawer there. By the stove."

Hanna wrapped the ice in a dish towel and place it on the table. She took another towel and gently patted the remaining blood from Emily's knuckles. Once Emily's hand was cleaned up, Hanna placed the towel wrapped bag of ice against Emily's hand.

"Thanks." Emily said, flinching slightly at the stinging sensation caused by the coolness of the ice against her sore, swollen and cut knuckles.

"Now, are you gonna tell me how you hurt your hand?"

"I-when I went to pick up my bike. That guy, Noel's friend, was outside and things got out of control-"

"Oh my God, you beat the crap out him?"

"Sshh. Hanna come on. I don't wanna wake up Spencer."

"Sorry. I just-"

"Is everything okay?" Aria asked, walking out of the bedroom.

"Emily beat up that asshole, Jake."

"What?" Aria eyes widened. "How?"

"No. I only hit him once. I didn't intend to, but I confronted him about what he did and he obviously didn't even see anything wrong with it. He said some pretty disrespectful things about Spencer and I couldn't take it. I lost my cool and I hit him."

"Geez. Did he hit you back. Are you all right?" Aria asked, her eyes quickly surveying Emily's face and body for any signs of injury.

"He didn't hit me. He was wasted. He went down after I hit him. I must have knocked him off balance. I didn't stick around after that."

"Do you want one of us to take you to the hospital and get your hand looked at? It still looks bad, Em." Hanna said when Emily shifted the ice bag on her hand.

"I'll be fine. I'm not worried about it. I'll just wrap it up. We've had a really long night. I think we should all get some sleep."

"You're probably right." Aria nodded. "You sure you don't wanna sleep in the bed with Spencer?"

"I'll be all right on the couch."

Emily was just about to go get herself some pajamas, when she, Aria and Hanna heard a knock at the door.

"Who the hell could that be this late?" Emily said as she walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside.

Emily noticed that there was now a police car parked outside of her building and two officers standing on her doorstep.

"Oh man." Emily sighed and opened the door.

When she opened the door she found Mike's older brother, Matt, as well as another man standing on the other side, both dressed in their police uniforms.

Hey, Em." Matt said. "I'm guessing you probably already know why we're here..." he said, regretfully.

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Emily nodded.

"There was an altercation at a frat house in Philadelphia tonight." The other cop said. "Someone there called us and explained a confrontation between one of the frat brothers and someone meeting your description. We found your driver's license lying on the sidewalk near the frat house." He took the plastic ID card from his pocket and handed it to Emily. "Were you there about an hour ago?"

"Yeah. I was there." Emily nodded.

"Look Em, I know you had a really good reason for punching that guy, but we still gotta take you in-" Matt said.

"You can't do that." Hanna interjected. "That guy was an ass. He's a predator. Emily was only protecting Spencer."

"I believe you." Matt said. "And the person who called told dispatch that they overheard that guy pretty much admit to slipping someone drugs at the party."

"See. Emily hit him because he deserved it." Aria said. "You can't arrest her for that."

"Believe me, I don't want to." Matt said. "And that guy is already in custody. Our guys are already investigating the allegations against him. But, unfortunately an assault charge has still been filed against Emily and we have to take her in."

"But-" Hanna began to protest again.

"Hanna. It's okay." Emily said. "We all know he got what he deserved, but that doesn't mean I don't have to accept the consequences of my own actions."

It was at that moment that Spencer walked out of the bedroom. She yawned, slowly rubbing her eyes. Spencer opened her eyes and looked up. As her vision came into focus, she saw the two police officers standing in the living room with Emily. She immediately recognized Matt as one of the officers.

"What the hell's going on?" Spencer asked, worriedly.

"I have to go to the police station." Emily said calmly.

"Wha-what? Why?" Spencer asked, nervously.

"When I went to get my bike, I ran into that asshole and I punched him in the jaw. He filed an assault complaint, so now, I gotta go with them." She motioned the cops.

"Are you hurt?" Spencer asked. "Did he hit you?"

"No. I'm okay." Emily said.

Mike's partner took out his handcuffs and took a few steps toward Emily.

"No. You don't need to handcuff her." Spencer said, wrapping her arms tightly around Emily. "She isn't dangerous."

"Yeah." Matt said. "No cuffs. She's not a threat."

"She might not be. But, it's protocol." The cop said. "We gotta use the cuffs."

"Screw protocol." Matt said "We're not using the cuffs. I said that we'd take this call because I know this charge is bullshit and I wanted to make sure she didn't get mistreated at all. Emily would never hurt anyone unless she had a really good reason-"

"Matt, it's okay." Emily said. "I don't want you guys to get in trouble because of me. Cuff me, it's all right."

Emily moved her hands behind her back and waited for Matt's partner to place the handcuffs on. Spencer hesitantly took a step backward, letting go of her girlfriend. Emily recoiled slightly at the pain from the cuts on her knuckles as her hands were pressed against her back, even though the cop was trying to be gentle, it was still painful. Emily then felt the cold metal cuffs encircle and tighten around her wrists.

"Spencer, we'll take the longest route to the station and try to stall for as long as possible." Matt said. "Just get down to the station as fast as you can to bail her out."

"I'll be right there, Em. Don't worry." Spencer said. "We'll get you out."

Emily nodded and walked behind Matt out the door with his partner following behind her. Spencer watched on, tears pricking her eyes and threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment as the cop closed the door behind them.


End file.
